


Thirteen Treasures

by Julia_Kynmane



Category: The Pirates of Dark Water
Genre: Beta Wanted, Non-Graphic Sex, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, looking for beta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-01-06 02:38:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 97,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julia_Kynmane/pseuds/Julia_Kynmane
Summary: "The alien world of Mer is being devoured by Dark Water. Only Ren, a young prince can stop it, by finding the lost Thirteen Treasures of Rule."My aim is to rewrite the Pirates of Dark Water from the start, adding new scenes, dialogues, original characters and completing the story.





	1. The Quest (1 of 6)

**Author's Note:**

> It all started in February 2017 with me, a cup of coffee and a blank page. 90,000 words later, I've decided to start posting my work online. 
> 
> I'm here cause I fell in love with the show when I was a child of ten, and after eighteen years the flame still burns. I want to dive deeper into the world of Mer, deeper into the characters' arcs, and I want to give the story the end it deserves (please, bear in mind that this is my own version of the story, yours might differ). 
> 
> Comments and feedback are welcome and truly needed; I'm also eager to chat with you all about anything related to the show! 
> 
> One last note before we start: English is not my first language, so if you notice any mistake with grammar, word choice and spelling, PLEASE feel free to let me know!

 

 

**Bloth**

 

_The sea is our mother, my dear. She takes us in her loving arms, she leads our way to safe ports, she feeds us, she lulls us to sleep at night. But you know, at times even the loveliest of mothers scolds her unruly babies. And at times my dear, such a ruthless mother as the sea, in her fury kills her children._

 

Captain Bloth hadn't thought about his mother in a while, but like a distant melody, her voice echoed from the abyss of his mind. It smothered the sound of the smashing waves, caressing its way up from the darkness and spread. Soothing.

He closed his eyes, savoring each drop of that stream of peace; willing it to last, knowing it wouldn't last. _Sleep, my dear_.

Bloth gripped the arms of the chair and forced his eyes to open; it hurt, but he had to come back to reality.

He breathed in and dared a look through the porthole. He saw the tide swell; the Maelstrom swayed and heeled in response.

The pile of scrolls on the table collapsed and rolled down, carrying the silver goblet along. The clang resounded as loud as the thunders when it hit the floor, and the remaining of the wine spread around in a red pool.

He watched as the wine seeped through the timber; slowly, gently. The vision was soothing. And as he watched, another memory emerged from the abyss.

It was during the last docking in Janda Town. Bloth had stepped in the overly crowded square, while the pungent scent of mint from the stand of spices still filled his nose. The crowd had parted to make space for a group of musicians; three men, and two homely girls. The former played strange instruments he'd never seen before, while the girls sang a sweet tale of a sailor and a sea creature. The Captain would never admit that to a soul, but he had enjoyed the music.

He clenched his fists.

The harmony of that song was far from the cacophony of noises that filled the deck of the warship. Even barred in his quarters he could hear the winds pummel the sails, and on top of that boomed his men's shouts.

It was not a song of love the one which was sung on the Maelstrom. It was the grim song of the fight for life.

Bloth had felt the storm come from the moment he rose. The captain's quarters were darker than usual, for no sun had risen to cast its light that day. When he'd stepped out abovedeck a cold wind had saluted him, and the grey sky looming above the ship left no doubt on what was coming.

His men knew that too, and they were bracing for the upcoming battle against nature.

“It is approaching, my lord.” His second in command had appeared at his side on the quarterdeck, moving silent as ever. “We're ready.”

“Very well Mantus, keep her afloat while I set the next course. We might fish something good tomorrow.”

Sharks and dartha eels could take the drowned sailors, Bloth and his men would take whatever was left of the sunken ships' cargoes. His hands loosened at the thought.

It was far from an auspicious day for sailing on the west. The mother was angry and would show her children no mercy. However the very life on Mer depended on the sea, and countless ships would still brave the treacherous water that day. The morrow would be bountiful.

They just had to survive the storm.

Captain Bloth shut his eyes and breathed in. He saw himself as a young boy sneaking into a tavern. He could almost smell the reek of stale ale again, as he could still hear the voice of the drunken seaman he'd encountered. The man had lost his sons to a storm no many moons before and had cursed the sea for long before blubbering something about Merians living in a world with no salt water.

_Noy jitat, like thousand leviathans squirming on jitatin land I tell you, boy. Fearful, aren't they? No matter how big and strong they are, without water, they're no mightier than barnacles._

Bloth hadn't cursed as much, but he had damned all the twenty seas when his mother had finally revealed him about his father. A drowned sailor. She'd loved him.

 _The sea is our mother my dear_.

His mother was not capable of hate. Never angry, always lovely. Forever sad.

The river of memories had burst its banks and was running free, he had to tame it lest it'd swallowed him whole. He shook his head until it felt empty and black dots fogged his sight. When his eyes adjusted the captain was back in his quarters.

He surveyed the swaying room around him and bent down to pick up the goblet.

The silver was so polished he could see his own reflection. And as he swirled the goblet in his hand he wondered why it was always in grey and stormy days that he got lost in the past; why it was when death was close that he thought about his mother.

He shook his head again and slammed the goblet back on the table. Death was not close. The Maelstrom would never sink, he'd seen to that. The leviathan's bones would keep them afloat.

Bloth stood up and went to retrieve the scrolls, which were now spread all over the cabin's floor.

He had just unrolled the map of the west when Konk knocked at his door. He knew it was the piglet, for he was the only one senseless enough to disturb him.

“Better be important.”

The door's hinges squeaked like a couple of shy mice before Konk's ugly face peeped inside.

“Most merciful Bloth.”

A thunder lashed through the air like an omen.

“Speak!” he ordered, knocking the chair down as he sprung to his feet.

“Brigmaster,” Konk mumbled staring at the floor. “Wants talk with captain.”

The abyss with its darkness swallowed his mind and Bloth stormed out of his quarters. He advanced, unperturbed; although the rocking deck soaked in rain made it hard to keep balance.

The brigmaster stood next to Mantus on the middle deck, his head bent down. His second in command took a step away from the man when Bloth approached him. The Captain didn't have to ask who the matter was about.

“Is Primus dead?” he shouted over the flapping of the sails.

“No, Captain.” The brigmaster was a brute of a man, but he chirped like a bird.

“What then?”

“He... He escaped, Captain.”

For a moment Bloth was silent but then his scream pierced through the air, louder than the thunders.

“How?” he growled.

“He sneaked... Away... He stole a boat. I-”

A wave slammed into the hull and the man collapsed on the deck.

The flames of rage flared up and Bloth started to shake.

“Blast his soul to the abyss! He was your charge and you allowed him to escape!”

He punched the mast.

“Bloth... M-most majesty,” the brigmaster was on his knees.

The pain that shot through his hand helped him focus back on his surroundings. Part of the crew had started to gather on the deck to assist to the scene. They held onto the ropes, the masts, and anything that might have kept them anchored to the safety of the Maelstrom. His men knew there was no forgiveness once Bloth had been displeased. Today it was the brigmaster, tomorrow it could be the lookout. Today though it was not them, and Bloth had seen how a man going down the pit amused them.

“For seventeen years I have guarded your prisoners and never a mistake! I took my eyes off him for but a moment!”

Bloth did not remember the brigmaster's name nor where he came from, the only thing he had needed to know was that the man served him well. No prisoner revolts had broken out during his service, for he had turned the guests in the Kramadorm into animals; sea scum and lords alike.

The Captain examined his hand. The white knuckles had already turned red and one nail that had dug into the palm was now covered in blood.

The rain washed it away.

“And a moment is all you've left to live.”

“Captain, please. It was just a moment, it was just a moment!”

His pleads revolted him.

“Open the door!” he ordered.

The brigmaster mouthed a _please_ that went unheard over the sounds of the storm. But as the rest of the crew, he had seen it countless times before and knew there was no way out.

Two members of the crew hurried to the large trap door set in front of the helm and lifted it open.

The brigmaster didn't struggle when two more shipmates seized his arms, even if he could have. He didn't say any last word when they dragged him to the pit. No prayer no more pleads for mercy. He went down without a fight, disappointing his captain one last time.

Although he screamed like everybody else when they threw him down below, and he departed the world with a final shriek.

Bloth walked to the pit and shot a look inside.

“Eat well, my pet!” he said.


	2. The Quest (2 of 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to age Ren up a little. In this story he's 20 and not 17.

 

**Ren**

 

Life as a lighthouse keeper could be dull at times for a young man like Ren, and some days he wondered whether there could be more for him out there.

It all had begun during one of his secret trips to the old town.

One night, as they sat around the fire, shielded by the only remaining white walls of Octopon, Joen the fisher had started to narrate a story.

It was the tale of a young brewer, so tired of his mundane life, that he decided to stow away on the boat of a merchant said to be sailing East. It was common knowledge plenty of adventures were to be found over there, but little did the lad knew the ship was manned by pirates in disguise.

Joen's voice had burst in flames during the part of the crew discovering the hiding spot of the boy in the galley. The rest of the story had the hero fight for his life, and manage to secure himself a place aboard.

The other villagers had been too busy chugging down rivers of ale to listen for long, and soon got lost in their cups. Ren however had been so enraptured that he'd set his ale down to never pick it up again. So enraptured that even Kaila could not seduce him away from the bonfire.

He couldn't stop thinking about the story while he'd rowed back to the lighthouse. He'd gone to sleep, and when he'd woken up a couple of hours later, the tale of the young boy was still there; and the day after, and the day after that. A small distracting thought that would not leave him alone.

Although as the days passed, what had been first a quick escape from reality, had become so persistent he'd soon found himself daydreaming about the adventure of the young brewer over and over again. And at times the daydreaming had become so vivid he could almost smell the borka paste and hear the crack of timber.

On his next secret trip he'd almost begged Joen to tell him more, he needed more, and his friend had been happy to comply.

The next part of the story had the boy prove his worth as a navigator, and slowly climb up from cabin boy to second mate with many adventures in between.

Joen had stopped his storytelling when the first light started to seep through the darkness, and the tale had reached the point where the lad, now a young pirate, met a beautiful sea creature.

Ren could not wait for the next trip, and deep inside he knew there was no coming back. His dreams were now filled with tales of lost treasures, swashbuckling, sea monsters and everything that did not belong to his life. And the more he daydreamed, the more he could not help but wonder whether he should have left the lighthouse for good.

Some days he found himself making plans about jumping on his boat, and row away to the closest port. He was a strong young man and had good chances of being hired by a crew of merchants.

His next step was telling Jenna he intended to leave, but those were the moments his couragevanished.

Many times he had pictured himself looking at Jenna in the eye, and confess her he wanted to sail away. He imagined her alone in the lighthouse, dealing with his absence. Quests for long lost treasures almost lost all their appeal at the thought.

Jenna didn't need to be left behind though. They could both leave the lighthouse and sail away to new adventures. Ren smiled as he drew the carving knife across the wood. He pictured sweet Jenna dealing with the life aboard, wearing sailor's clothes and gulping down jars of ale.

He placed the blade down and contemplated his work. What had once been just a piece of wood, had now taken the shape of a bow. Ren reached for the sandstone and proceeded to polish it.

Crast had promised to provide him with the right hemp for the bowstring on the next meeting in the old town, and after that Ren could finally put his new toy to use. It would not be perfect, but it was his first attempt at it. The result pleased him.

He didn't know how much time had passed from when he'd started to polish the wood, but his eyes suddenly felt heavy. He hid the unfinished bow under his bed, together with the knife and went to sleep.

The dream seeped through the darkness of his slumber, showing him a forest of thousand shades of green and bushes heavy with berries of the richest violet he'd ever seen. The air carried their sweet scent as well as the voices of his crew mates, as they advanced through the brambles. Ren could not see their faces for he was leading the way through that forest. Somehow he knew where he was headed. It didn't take long to reach a bay next to the bank of a river; a wooden chest was there, in front of his eyes.  
He stepped closer and noticed a sigil in the place where the lock should have been. It was a round octopus with four tentacles; the sigil of Octopon.  
A red parrot appeared from the sky, and it proceeded to fly in circle around the chest. _Open the chest, treasure. Open the chest, treasure._ It squawked. And Ren did.  
The gleam of the gems it contained almost blinded his eyes, and Ren tried to reach for one of them. It was of the most beautiful shade of green. But as his hand went for the gem, he noticed something else standing in the chest, something he hadn't noticed before. It was a crown.

His eyes popped open and Ren found himself staring into the darkness of his room. The crushing of waves was the only sound carrying into the night. No trace of the forest, no trace of his shipmates, no splendid gems, just darkness. And his dull life.

He twisted and turned in his bed, as he tried to fall back asleep. He couldn't do it anymore. He'd spent twenty years caged in that lighthouse on the shore of a dead city, he couldn't stay there for the rest of his life. There was a world out there across the sea, there were adventures to be lived, treasures to be found. Ren would have it all. He would tell Jenna everything, and he would give her a chance to sail away with him. He would do it.

 

* * *

 

When the next day he woke up to a grey sky and a chilly breeze seeping through the windows, he set those thoughts away. A storm was on its way, which meant there was lot to do in the lighthouse.

He found Jenna on the third level, looking out of the window. She had donned her long silky gown, the one she always wore on stormy days. The silk was a shade of brilliant pink, and she had wrapped her large waist in a cloth the bright blue of the morning sky.

“Not an auspicious day for sailing,” he said.

She turned, worry crossed her plump face. “Not indeed, my dear.”

“I'll get to work.”

She nodded. “We'd better do.”

The first thunders crackled through the air as he went around polishing the windows, and when he finally climbed the staircase up to the lantern room at the very top, the rains had already started to hammer against the glass, joined by the ominous whistle of the wind.

Ren took a moment to walk to his favourite spot behind the windows facing south, and looked out at the raging sea. The raindrops blurred the world outside, but he could make out the waves floating and crushing upon the rocks and shore alike.

He sighed and relished in the thought that the sun would come up eventually. Together with whatever would wash ashore.

A shiver went down his spine; it was never easy to pick up the shipwrecks from the shore and think about where they might have come from. But he and Jenna would do it anyway.

Ren shook his head and was about to turn his back, when something caught his attention. He placed his hands on the window and pushed his face onto the glass, squinting. For a moment he cursed himself for a fool, thinking what he saw was just the white of sea foam. However, when he closed his eyes and opened them again, the white stain was still there. And it was not the white of sea foam, it was the white of sails.

“By the two moons,” he whispered.

A thunder lashed through the air and shot down striking the shore. Its roar echoed in the very core of the lighthouse so strong even the walls seemed to shake.

“Ren! Come down from up there, now!” Jenna's yell carried through the staircase.

“No, I think I saw someone out there!” he barely heard his own voice over the sound of the lashing rain.

“Ren, enough foolishness! Do I have to drag you inside?”

“Wait! If somebody's out there, I have to make sure!”

He seized the fireflask tied around his belt and poured some of its content into the lantern. He then unscrewed the upper part of the lid where a flint was set, and rubbed the stone against the neck of the flask. The sparkles fell down into the lantern igniting the fire.

When her face appeared from the stairwell, Jenna's was panting from the run upwards. Part of her auburn hair was stuck to her forehead.

“So, where is this fool who would brave such a storm?” She approached him by the window.

“There, by the rocks!” he pointed in the direction of the boat.

Jenna gasped and his legs moved on their own.

“Ren, wait!” he heard her scream, but there was not stopping now.

He lashed down the flight of stairs. Ren had to act and do it fast, for the sea would not wait to claim the life of whoever manned that boat. There was nothing as merciless as the sea. There was no reasoning with it, no bargaining.

The serpentine was steep and slippery, preventing him to run as fast as he should have. So Ren jumped high enough to grab a torch older protruding from the wall, and flung himself down onto the lower floor. The practice had paid off cause he landed smoothly this time, and kept on with his frantic run down the stairs.

“Ren!” Jenna's voice was nothing but a far whisper now. She would forgive him.

Ren jumped again, seized another torch holder and swooped down onto the lower floor. Two more levels flew by when he finally kicked the main door of the lighthouse open and sped through the shore, towards the treacherous sea.

Even if the rain stung his eyes he could see it clearly now, the sail belonged to a small boat and there was only a man steering it.

He had not taken more than a couple of steps toward the sea, when the man's boat crushed against the rocks. The greedy waves quickly engulfed the hull, the scrawny sail and the unfortunate soul.

Though his instinct begged him to turn around and walk back into the safety of the lighthouse, he fought it away and braced to withstand the sea Hepushed as hard as he could against the flow fighting him away, and when the tide reached his waist he stretched his arms and dived into the water, down below the unforgiving waves. Ren was a superb swimmer, but he had to battle hard to keep going forward.

His strokes grew more and more desperate when he emerged, and drops of salty water and rain alike lashed at his face. Then a wave crushed down upon him, bringing him down. The flow swirled him around, and as he sunk an image appeared in his head. Jenna, curled on his swollen corpse sprawled on the sand. Ren's jaw clenched and his legs pushed hard against the water. They propelled him back up. He sucked in air almost chocking on the rain washing down his face. And while struggling to keep his head above the water he looked at the rocks.

The sight of the man sinking down gave him the power to summon all of his remaining strength. He dived down and propelled himself forward. His arms wrapped around the man's chest and Ren stole him from the water. The poor soul was light as a feather.

Ren breathed in. “Hold on!” he shouted, before swimming the both of them out of the nightmare.

They collapsed on the wet sand, wearied but yet so alive. Ren's chest raised and fell. Air, no honey could be sweeter than that.

The roar of the sea echoed in the air like a raging beast. Ren had stolen its prey, the man was safe now. He turned his head.

The old man lay unconscious at his side; clothed in rugs, his skin the colour of ashes. White air was plastered around his bony face where chapped lips stood contorted in a grimace of pain. And right when Ren thought the old man had passed out, he spoke.

“No, Bloth, you'll never take me again!” his voice was wheezy, almost delirious.

Ren felt a sudden surge of pity for him. “You're safe now, old man,” he reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm a friend!”

The old man's eyes popped open. They were red with fever. “Tell me,” he struggled to suck in air. “Tell me this is Octopon.”

Ren's throat clenched at his begging. “It is.”

“Then the circle is complete.” He closed his eyes and his shaking body relaxed.

Ren placed an arm under the man's neck and made to pull him up. “Come, let me get you inside, Jenna will-”

“There's no time!” he cried out, his eyes suddenly wide open again. He looked for the first time into Ren's eyes and for a moment the roaring of the sea went silent.

“Look to Octopon, what do you see?”

For some reason Ren could not help but obey, and took a look at the city. It stretched along the coast not far from the lighthouse, in all of its mighty decay.

“I see what remains of a majestic city. Please, let me get you-”

He seized Ren's hand and squeezed it with surprising strength.

“What do you see?” The man's voice was everything Ren could hear, except that it was not hoarse and shaking anymore. It was clean, firm and gentle. “What do you see?”

And Ren saw it. Octopon, the jewel in the crown of Mer. The white towers of the royal palace reaching high towards the sky. Hundred houses with their gleaming roofs sparkling in the sunlight like gems. The markets on the western side, blooming with goods and people, thousands of people walking the cobbled streets. The green of the trees, their branches heavy with fruits. High hills covered in flowers, looking like a wonderfully embroidered carpet.

“I-” his voice failed him. He gulped. “I see the city. Reborn.”

“No, you see your destiny. Only you can bring our city back to its former glory. Go to the one called Alomar. Tell him Primus has escaped the pirate king Bloth.”

“Alomar?” Ren shook his head and the waves resumed their ominous song. He was on the shore again, the cold winds lashing against his wet skin, the sand sticking to his body. The old man was in his arms, their hands still joined and Octopon was a grey pile of ruins.

Though Ren had seen it. He'd seen it with his own eyes.

“Alomar,” he repeated. “Where will I find this man?”

“Seek him in fire and smoke, Ren.” The man's voice faltered, he sucked in a last breath, his face contorted in agony. “My son.”

His body quivered one last time and then it went limp.

“Old man!” Ren cried out. No answer came from the body resting in his arms. Ren squeezed his bony hand and looked at the ruins of Octopon.

By the time he noticed the monstrous wave crushing down upon them it was too late to run away. The water hit down on them and it pulled their hands apart. All he could do was diving his hands in the wet sand and claw to the safety of the shore.

When the water drained back into the sea, the old man was gone.

The sea gave aplenty, but when the time came for it to take there was no bargaining. It wanted the old man and in the end it had claimed him.

“Ren!” somebody shouted from the distance. “Ren, by the two moons what got inside that head of yours?”

 _Alomar_. _Bloth_. Ren had to remember. _Primus_.

He kept on repeating those names in his head, while Jenna hurried as fast as she could towards him.

He stared at the sea, waiting for the old man to come back and show him the white city again. Maybe he had lost his mind too.

A pink hand cupped his cheek and Ren turned his head up. Jenna's eyes were wide with concern.

“Ren do you hear me?”

“Primus. Seek him in fire and smoke.”

Her face went blank. “Ren, what happened?” Her eyes wondered around the shore. “Where is that man?”

“He's with the sea.”

 _Alomar_. _Bloth_ _the king pirate_. _Primus_.

Jenna turned to face the water and bowed her head in respect for the dead. When she turned and faced him, he saw something gleam in her eyes.

“Let me get you inside, my child.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on October 4.


	3. The Quest (3 of 6)

 

**Ren**  

 

Jenna had led him back into the lighthouse where she'd given him dry clothes. They used to spend their time on the second level of the tower, but she had insisted on going up to the very top, to the lantern room.

“So all I could do was comfort him in his final moments,” he finished his story.

The old man had taken his hand, and Ren had seen the city reborn. Or what the city might have looked like before the year of the Black Tide.

Ren had been too young at the time to remember, but Jenna was there when Octopon was still a thriving city. She'd told him about its white buildings shining in the sunlight like pearls. People from all over Mer were driven to Octopon, from the lords to the fishers. He'd heard about hundreds of boats anchored in the port, and the market full to the brim with exotic food and the finest silks in Mer.  
The woods surrounding the city had been covered in green once, and Jenna had loved to go for long walks to pick up sweet berries and flowers along the way.

It was a heart warming vision.

Ren looked out towards the sea, remembering the feeling of the old man's hand joined with his.

“Clearly he'd lost his mind, but,” he hesitated. “For some reason I felt a powerful bond with him.”

“It's because he knew you, Ren.”

He turned to Jenna, wondering if she had gone mad too.

She straightened her back. “It was I who looked after you these twenty years, but it was Primus the king who fulfilled the prophecy and returned to his son.” Her pink eyes locked into his. “He was your father, Ren.”

The floor swayed under his feet. He shook his head.

“We all had to keep the truth from you.” Jenna glanced out of the window; the corners of her eyes crinkled.

“Primus,” he said that name out loud.

He'd lived all his life in the lighthouse together with Jenna. There was no blood bond between the two of them, but she'd been a mother to him nonetheless. He was told his parents were merchants who had perished in a sea storm, and not once he'd doubted that story might not be true.

“King Primus,” he repeated through trembling lips. Jenna had told him about King Primus and his magnificent palace.

_Tell him Primus has escaped the pirate king Bloth._

He saw the man's blue eyes again. The lines of his contorted face. _Ren, my son_. His heart skipped a beat.

“But if that man really was my father, that means-”

He couldn't speak anymore. The floor swayed harder than the sea, and Ren reached out for the wall to keep himself from falling.

Jenna's voice was solemn in a way he'd never heard before, “It means you are the prince of Octopon, our future king.”

 _Prince_. _King_. Ren shook his head. He was a lighthouse keeper. He had grown up in there, where he was to spend the rest of his life tending to the flames. He was nothing more than a lighthouse keeper with a fancy for archery and ale.  
It was true, he longed for adventures; dreams about sailing away from the lighthouse and joining seamen on their quests for long lost treasures filled his head. But he was no king's son, no prince of no former majestic city.  
Life as a lighthouse keeper was the only life he knew how to live.

As he leaned against the wall his nails dug into the stone. He was no king's son.

“You've lost your mind. I am no prince, no king,” he stuttered. “Scupango Jenna, I don't even know-” He gasped as Jenna's lips spread into a smile.

The truth hit him in the chest like an arrow. He knew. He knew the way things were at court. He knew about the laws, about the history, he knew about Mer and its people. He knew how to address noblemen and kings. Jenna had seen to that.

His breath quickened, “All my life, you've been preparing me for this.”

“Yes,” Jenna's smile faded as she turned and walked to the fireplace.

Her hand flowed across the tiles, until it lingered on one that did not look any different from the others. She exhaled a long breath and pulled it away. There was a hole hidden behind, and Jenna dug her hand in to retrieve something wrapped in a rag the colour of royal violet.

“And that which was Primus' is now yours.”

She unwrapped the fabric, letting it fall to the floor. In her hands was one the most splendid objects Ren had ever seen.

A sword, or half of it, its polished blade was broken in the middle and the edge was missing. Although, broken as it was, he couldn't take his eyes away from its hilt made of pure gold and the magnificent ruby mounted on the pommel. The gem caught the light from the fire and the warm gleam that it cast hypnotized him. 

“What's the meaning of this?” his voice was nothing but a whisper.

“You've spent your youth tending to the flames of this lighthouse,” Jenna said slowly, as if giving him the time to let the words sink into his head. “Now you will be the guiding light for all Octopon.” She placed the sword in Ren's shaky hands. It was heavy, and cold.

“Is that my role in this... prophecy?” The word felt strange in his mouth. “Bring Octopon back to its former glory?”

“It is, my child. My prince. That and so much more.”

There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but he had to gather all the information he could before the names slipped from his memory. “If you know all this, then you must know where I can find the one called,” _seek him in fire and smoke_ , “Alomar?”

“I do. The one you seek dwells within the Abbey of Galdebar. South and west from here.”

He placed the sword in his belt as Jenna gave him further instructions on how to reach the Abbey. It was not the kind of weapon a lighthouse keeper should own.

“Oh Ren,” Jenna's voice suddenly cracked. One of her hand reached for him. “I hope you'll find it in you to forgive me, for holding the truth from you,” her eyes were blurred with tears. “Understand nobody could know about you. It was for your own safety, as for the safety of Octopon.”

One of the windows exploded in thousand shards, and Ren never answered that there was no need for forgiveness. He never hug her tight as he wanted, and told her that he loved her and felt ashamed for ever thinking about leaving her behind.

The red beast that burst into the lighthouse acted too fast for him to fight back. Before he could reach for that new splendid sword, the beast was on Jenna and shoved her to the ground. Then, as fast as lighting bolt, it turned to Ren and with a powerful flap of its wings it was on him. It seized him by his shoulders digging its claws around them. Ren heard Jenna scream, and a moment later he was flying.

 

* * *

 

 

The storm had ceased, but the waves still roamed below his feet. The wind lashed at him and his captor, like trying to push them back to the lighthouse. The beast's powerful wings however cut straight through it.

“Let me go!” Ren cried out, squirming to no avail.

The big bird kept on flying, uninterested.

Except that the beast was not a bird.

It had wings, the long neck of a pelican and feathers, but its yellow beak stuck out from the face of a monkey; and his body, with its arms, legs and hairy hands looked terrifyingly human.

“You let me go!” Ren reached out for one of the flapping wings and plucked a feather.

The creature opened its beak releasing a deafening squawk; then it talked.

“You don't want me to drop you now, do you?”

“You can talk!” he shrieked.

“Thanks for the knowledge. You can almost fight.”

The claws around his arms hurt too much, Ren could not be dreaming.

“What do you want from me? Why don't you bring me back?” it was hard to articulate the words. His chest was on fire.

“You're worth your weight in minga melons!”

“Where are you taking me?”

“You'll find out soon enough.”

Even if the beast could talk, it remained an animal and he could outsmart it.

“Listen, you have to bring me back, you don't understand-”

Something hit him across the back. It took him a moment to realize the creature had just lashed at him with its long tail.

Ren cursed.

“If you don't shut your mouth I'll drop you.”

Ren considered the option. He was a good swimmer who could survive a fall down into the water. But they had ventured too far into the open sea for him to be able to swim back to the shore of Octopon.

He kept quiet.

 

* * *

 

He wondered how long would it still take to reach the creature's nest as dizziness clouded his head and his sight blurred.

Ren closed his eyes and gulped down the content of his stomach.

Breathing got harder and harder, and the thought that he might have died in the mutant bird's claws started to seep through his mind. Probably a better option than getting to wherever the beast was taking him.

As he fought to push those dreading thoughts back down into the abyss they'd sneaked from, he reopened his eyes. Not doubt was left; dying in the beast claws would be a mercy.

The biggest sea monster Ren had ever seen floated on the water. His jaw dropped. Not just a monster. Nothing could be that big. It was a leviathan.

“Stop!” he shrieked. “Go back, go back!”

The beast kept on flying and he was too worn out to fight. His limp legs squirmed pitifully.

Ren had never seen a leviathan before, but they had told him everything he needed to know. Leviathans could leap out of the water; that was the way they captured other preys than fish.

“Please, stop,” Ren yelped. “I think it's a leviathan.”

The beast bent its long neck to look down at him. Its green eyes seemed amused.

“Do the bones scare you? Good, they were meant to. What covers the boat should be the last of your worries,” it straightened his head up. “Fear what's inside.”

Ren did not understand what that was supposed to mean, and it was not until the flying beast carried him on the very top of the floating leviathan that he realized the monster was in fact a ship. The white carcass covering it was everything that was left of a leviathan.

_Fear what's inside._

The claws let go of his shoulders and Ren fell down.

Ren crushed on top of a sail that blocked his fall; but his arms were too numb from the fly for him to even attempt to grip the fabric. He slid down the sail and plummeted onto the deck.

A sharp pain pierced through his shoulder when he crushed on the wood, and Ren screamed. Pain, the pain burnt like fire. He rolled onto his back grunting, his eyes shut.

People were laughing all around him and the stench of fish, sweat and rotten wood punched his nose.

“Take a good swim and come back thirty years younger,” he heard somebody say.

“Monkeybird, with the brain of a naja dog!”

“Monkeybird likes them young, like Mantus.”

Ren opened his eyes.

At first he noticed the long table he'd landed upon, then he saw what lurked all around him.

Scrawny men, robust men, some humans more of them humanoids. Some wore ragged pieces of clothes, some dirty silks, some dirty silks and leather, and some nothing but a worn pair of pants. Long hair, curly hair, ragged locks and no hair at all. Skins kissed and burnt by the sun. Some of them had jewels, some of them eye-patches, some of them both. Each one of them was different, and somehow they looked all the same.

“My meal looks under-cooked,” thundered a voice.

When Ren turned, the first thing he noticed was the sickening blue of the man's puffy lips. They smiled their way out of a thick, forked black beard.

The man came closer and poked him with a fork; the crew around them laughed louder.

“Pretty enough, make him the next cabin boy, uh, captain?” somebody said.

“Ay, this fair lady can scrub my mast!” Some other distant voice slurred.

“Give him to Mantus, he knows what to do with this one!”

“Noy jitat, get a real woman I tell you!”

“Ay, a squeaking maid, sweet as honey.”

“Chongo, I've said a woman not a rat!”

The chorus grew louder and louder, voices and laughter intertwining together.

The man's blue lips parted in an open smile, revealing two rows of white teeth. They matched the white of his skin. Not the candid white of clouds, the white of a drowned corpse. He was tall, taller than all the others and as bulky as the ship he was standing on.

A shiver went down Ren's spine when he forced himself to stare into the man's eye; just one, his right orbit was filled with a yellow glass ball.

The man, who must have been the captain, was about to speak again when the flying creature approached him, floating in the air.

“What about my food? We had a deal!” it squawked.

The captain turned his bald head around, the two black tresses of beard danced across his chest like snakes.

“The deal was for you to bring me the old man, monkeybird.” Although calm and collected, the man's voice was nothing but a growl.

“Old man, young man, what's the difference? I want to be fed!”

“Niddler,” the man's smile washed away from his white face. “Have I ever lied to you? I'll feed you.”

Despite his size he moved fast. His big hand shot through the air and seized the flying creature by its neck.

“I'll feed you to the Constrictus.”

The crew cheered to that, their yells more beastly than the creature's strangled screeches.

Its wings flapped relentlessly as it squirmed in the grip. Then it managed to bend its long neck and peck at the captain's hand. Red blood streamed down his fingers.

The man screamed and loosed the grip, giving the beast precious time to soar away from the deck.

“Put an end to him!” he shouted.

Daggers and exotic curses flew into the sky, but the winged creature flew faster.

“Save your weapons you swine, the monkeybird won't survive long on its own. Let it go!” Yelled another humanoid who had approached the captain.

“This won't be the last you see of me, Fish Lips!” Declared the flying monkey from the safety of its distance, and then it flapped away.

The captain stared at the flying figure in the sky, clenching and unclenching his big fists. Then he inhaled a deep long breath and turned back to Ren.

“I apologize for this outburst,” he smiled. “I hope my guest understands that the pressure of leadership weighs heavily.”

“Why have you brought me here?” Ren wished he would sound more assertive, but his shoulder was still throbbing from the fall. Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

The captain's nostrils flared, “An old fool stole one of my boats and sailed it to the shore of Octopon.” He paused and cocked his head. “Any chance you saw him?”

Ren suddenly wished he had wings too.

“So, you did know him?”

“Intimately. He was a long term,” the captain paused. “Guest of mine.”

“Then you would be,” _the king pirate_. “Bloth.”

“Yes,” he raised one of his black brow. “But you have me at disadvantage. I don't know who you are.”

“That's not important.”

Bloth smiled.

“Oh, but it is if the old man told you more than my name. Secrets, perhaps?”

“Then why should I tell his jailer information he died to protect?”

“Enough of this dancing about!” Bloth suddenly roared and Ren forgot to breathe. “The old man hid the Thirteen Treasures of Rule within the realm of Dark Water, and I mean to have them!”

“You won't get any help from me,” Ren declared, jumping down onto the deck.

He'd lived all his life being Jenna's strong boy, but he couldn't help feeling so small in front of the pirate.

“The Treasure's no good to a dead man,” the captain paused. He looked at Ren, his big hand stroking a black tress of his beard.

“Why won't you join me?” he finally spoke.

Blood rushed to Ren's head, “Primus was my father.”

For a moment the deck of the ship had gone silent, and then all together thousand whispers filled the air. Anger had spoken, and too late Ren realized the deadly mistake. He would need to be careful in sharing the information in the future. If he still had any future to live in.

Bloth approached him, “Was he now?”

His eye focused on Ren's face. The blue smile was gone, a distant memory of a past when Ren could have made it out of the monstrous ship alive.

The skinny humanoid standing beside the captain sucked in air. “That face, my lord. His hair, his eyes!”

And the captain's jaw dropped.

“How could I miss the resemblance,” he roared. “And I thought I had eliminated all his heirs!”

He stumped his feet on the deck as he approached Ren, “Well, here's an opportunity to finish the job.”

Ren had enough time to make out Bloth's hand lunging through the air, and before he could move away that hand was around his neck. Squeezing.

He struggled like a mad man as he felt the grip pulling him up from the deck. He kicked, and squirmed, and clawed at the hand around his throat, to no avail. And his kicks got wilder. Ren felt his feet hit the target. The grip around his neck did not relent, but even when he felt his body weaken he still struggled with every inch of it.

Pain was everywhere; his lungs were on fire, he knew some instants were left until he won't feel anything anymore. In a desperate attempt he tried to scream for help, but no sound came from his open mouth.

He was dying.

But when he stopped struggling waiting for it to be over, the hand around his throat let go and he could breathe again. No filthy air had ever felt so sweet.

Until he was pushed, and for the second time that day he fell down.

The impact hit him sharp and wet, and Ren willed himself to stop breathing as the water engulfed him.

Had he been weak he could have drowned there; but he was strong, his arms used to the swimming by instinct propelled him up to the surface.

He sucked in air once, twice; it traveled all the way to his lungs, and back up and down again. Breathing hurt but no pain had ever felt so welcome. His chest burnt, his head spun, his shoulder throbbed and yet he was still alive.

The question was, for how long.

He looked all around him and then up; they'd thrown him down in what seemed to be like a large well.

The thought that they had thrown him down there to let him slowly rot away crossed his mind for a terrifying second.

Then the water began to tremble.

Ren froze. Something was coming out from under the surface. Something big.

For a moment he thought about the lighthouse, and then three eyeless worms as big as snakes emerged from the water; their jaws opened to reveal hooked teeth as sharp as knives.

He swam away and crushed against the walls of the pit. There was no hiding, no escaping. Bloth didn't throw him down there to rot away in the end.

 _Fear what's inside_.

The yells and cheers of the crew echoed from above while the beasts spun around in the pit. They could not see him, and the pirates' shouts confused them.

Ren flattened himself against the wall, and that was the moment he realized it was covered in a layerof bones. Climbing his way up should not have been hard. He seized the bones and pushed himself out of the water.

When he threw a quick look behind him he saw the worms had turned his way.

He started to climb back up as fast as he could, ignoring the pulsing pain in his shoulder.

He had not made it half way up the pit when the water trembled again, this time harder; and he could not help but look down when the monster emerged.

The three worms were not separate beasts, they all sprouted from the feral mouth of a monster ten times the size of a man. At its wrenching screech the whole pit shook, and for a heartbeat Ren lost his grip on the bones.

_Fear what's inside._

The monster lunged at him, its mouth wide open, ready to snatch him.

Ren leaped towards the other side of the pit, and Kunda must have blessed him for he managed to seize one of the white bones and prevent himself from falling down to certain death.

He remembered about his father's sword still hanging at his side. A single man wielding a broken sword against that monster could do very little. It was nonetheless a weapon and Ren reached for it; when he felt something else hanging from his side. The fireflask.

The screeching beast charged for him again, the sprouting worms gnashing their jaws.

Ren had to act fast.

He opened the flask dropping all of the oil down onto the water; then he willed his shaking hands to strike the flint over the neck of the flask. Until his hands lost their grip on the flask which went flying down the pit.

He looked up and saw the jaw crushing down on him. Then something exploded and the bottom of the pit lit up. The flames came up roaring right after, engulfing the air around.

The beast sunk back down into the depth of the water from where it came, with a last thunderous screech. The fire roamed the surface of the water, making the sticky air unbreathable.

Ren wondered what would happen if he'd just let loose of his grip on the bones and sink down into the flames. He shook his head. All he could do now was to climb back up and fight for his life.

One way or another he would die.

He bent his head and vomited down the pit.

An image of the lighthouse and its musty walls appeared in his head. His unfinished bow under his bed. The little boat hidden behind the rocks. Kaila's kisses and moans. Crast teaching him how to shoot arrows, and Joen's tales of pirates and lost treasures.

And on top of all Jenna. Jenna alone in the dark lighthouse, waiting for him to come back.

Tears mingled with the sweat on his face. His hand felt for the sword at his side and Ren climbed out of the pit. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapters will be up on October 11.


	4. The Quest (4 of 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double POV for this chapter!

**Niddler**

 

Niddler was hungry.

Minga melons, Bloth had promised the old man's weigh in minga melons. Niddler should have known better than to trust a pirate.

His stomach growled again, this time louder.

His wings flapped aimlessly in the sky, and there was still strength left in them to carry him wherever he wanted to go. Except that he didn't have a clue of where to go.

Everywhere he looked the view was always the same; sea. Leagues and leagues of water. Undrinkable water. Not a land in sight.

He wondered for how long he could still keep on flying before he crushed down into the water and drown.

That day Niddler had become one of the few who could brag about fleeing the Maelstrom unscathed, but not a soul would ever hear about that, because he was doomed to die alone.

After bearing the curse of slavery, someone might have found some comfort in the knowledge of dying as a free monkeybird; but Niddler's was not that brave. Niddler was scared. He didn't want to die.

And worst of all, he didn't want to die on an empty stomach.

He had never been on his own. Not that any monkeybird could make it alone, they belonged together.

Niddler needed his own kind to survive, but monkeybirds were nowhere to be found. And even if he knew where to find them, how could they help each other? Monkeybirds were not free.

Doomed and hungry monkeybird, he would always be somebody's property.

Niddler sighed.

He stopped his aimless flying and stood there in the air, flapping his wings as he let the bitter truth sink in. It didn't matter how far he flew, it didn't matter how free he pretended to be, he was born a monkeybird and finding a new master was the only solution to stay alive after all.

He scowled at the sea.

Not all masters had to be bad though, maybe if he kept on flying he would end up in a city where a kinder master would take care of him. A new, kinder master who would feed him minga melons and candy-clams.

His stomach growled.

Food, he needed some food. Seaweed perhaps. Anything.

Niddler's bottom lip grimaced when he remembered Bloth's crew had docked on the western cost to resupply just a few days before. Their very own definition of _resupply_ , but in any way the ship was full to the brim with food. Part of it was his by right. He did what Bloth had bid him to.

Was it the old man Bloth wanted? Old, young, a human was a human. The boy was as good as any other.

How much fun they must be having with that unfortunate boy.

For a moment his wings froze in the air.

That unfortunate boy! He could be the solution to quench his hunger before launching himself in the bitter search of a new master, for the moment being.

He'd stayed on the Maelstrom long enough to know the crew would be too busy tormenting the boy to notice a skinny monkeybird doing his own resupply. That could work.

Niddler gulped, courage was not one of his best qualities, but it was either taking a small chance of succeeding or certain starvation.

His stomach growled. He had to try.

 

* * *

 

Reaching the terrible Maelstrom took less than he'd imagined. He needed to be careful, they were in the open sea and his red feathers did not make it easy for him to go unnoticed in the sky.

The barks of the crew echoed in the distance. They didn't promise anything good.

He gulped his fear down and flew a little closer.

The crew had gathered on the deck and parted to make space for two fighters. The small chunk of a man could not be anyone else but Konk. Niddler focused on the other; long hair the colour of the sun was tied behind his head. There was not mistaking, it was the boy he'd caught earlier.

Niddler took some time to watch them.

The guy put up an appraising fight, but Niddler knew they were just playing around with him. Konk was the favourite gambling material on the Maelstrom, and Mantus would be in the first line gambling more than everyone else.  
The plan was working. The pirates were enraptured, they did not have eyes for anything else and that was the opportunity Niddler had hoped for.

The boy managed to kick Konk, sending the piglet flying back, and launched himself towards the mast. He got hold of a rope at the same time as he chopped another with his sword. One of the gigantic sail fell onto the deck and the boy, still holding onto the rope was propelled towards the crow's nest.

It was a smart move, but the boy would not get away from the Maelstrom. Nobody ever got away from the Maelstrom, apart from the old man and Niddler.

That unfortunate boy had saved the old man from the raging sea and he didn't even have wings; it was a noble action. Niddler pitied him after all, he seemed to be clever, and strong and brave. They were going to kill him, and that was also his fault.

His stomach growled. And the hunger must have played some silly jokes on his wings.

He flew towards the trapped boy who seemed to be waiting for the enemies to reach him. His pretty face didn't betray any emotion.

“Well, looks like you're in a bit of a spot!” he heard himself saying. His voice conveyed a calmness he did not really feel.

The boy turned to face him, his blue eyes shooting arrows. Something was glowing on his cheeks.

“Yes” he growled, when he recognized Niddler. “And I wonder who it was that got me into it.”

“Konk comes for you boy!” the piglet's grunts carried from the rigging below.

Niddler peeped down, and saw him climb together with some other mates, as the rest of the crew urged them to get the boy and the jitatin monkeybird.

“If you want revenge against Bloth, help me escape!” cried the boy.

Niddler gaped at him.

The boy's enemy was Niddler's enemy. If Niddler saved his young life he would owe him a lot. He didn't know whether Pretty Face would keep him fed, but he was sure a better master than Bloth.

“Monkeybird is good meat!” somebody yelled from the deck.

There was not time to ponder about it. He grabbed the boy by his shoulders and flew the both of them away from the Maelstrom.

 

 

 

**Ren**

 

Ren had heard the pirates curse while the monkeybird got him out of the _bit of a spot_. And now he was flying again; this time away from danger. His throbbing shoulder made him feel so alive.

“I owe you my life,” he paused. “Monkeybird. You have my deepest thanks.”

“The name is Niddler, and keep your thanks. I only saved you on the chance you could find me some food,” squawked the monkeybird.

Ren winced.

“There's no time for that! The future of Octopon rests in my hands!” How could the beast think about food in such a moment?

“Funny,” he answered. “My grip seems to be getting weaker.”

One of Niddler's paws loosed its hold around Ren's arm.

“All right, all right! I know where we can find some food!”

Ren hoped the monkeybird was really as gullible as he seemed. “It's called the Abbey of Galdebar.”

“Galdebar? That doesn't sound very appetizing,” he mused; but with Ren's directions he flew them there.

 

* * *

 

It was dusk when they made it to Galdebar.

Ren felt grateful for Niddler and his wings, flying with him had saved him a day worth of climbing. Two days, considering the state of his shoulder.

The Abbey towered from the top of a cliff, which rose all the way up towards the sky. It was a plain and rough building made of stone. The statues of two reptilians figures adorned the sides of the front staircase, which led the way up to a lofty door.

When Niddler placed him down on the ground, Ren's shoulder throbbed as if someone had just pierced through it with a burning blade. He grunted, and dug his teeth into his bottom lip.

He took slow, deep breaths, trying to ignore the nasty feeling of the cold sweat soaking his forehead. When the pain washed down he opened his eyes.

The monkeybird stared at him; he had retreated his slender neck inside his shoulders.

“Is this the place?” he peeped.

“I think so.”

“I hope you're right,” Niddler said. “My stomach's growling!”

“Let's get in,” he said, forcing his lips into a smile.

The main hall of the Abbey was like nothing Ren had expected a spiritual temple to look like.

The sickening sweet reek of overripe fruit impregnated the hall, and the small torches on the high walls shone their feeble light over bubbling pools of revolting green water.

Ren gagged. The hall conveyed little of solemn and spiritual.

It was otherwise empty but for a massive gong placed the centre; two raggedly cut sculptures in the shape of what could have been winged snakes adorned its top.

Ren winced, “This looks so-”

“Deserted!” Niddler's neck jutted out from his shoulders in all of its length. “This place is deserted! You lied to me-”

“Who dare enter the Abbey of Galdebar?” a voice thundered from the back of the empty hall, an a heartbeat later a massive figure appeared.

He was a man, a purple robe covered his body as well as his face. There's was nothing friendly about the spiked scepter he clutched in his big hands.

At his sight Niddler squawked and went hiding behind Ren. “Two hungry travellers” he chirped, shaking.

“Hush!” Ren reproached him. “I am Ren, son of King Primus.”

“Good story!” the monkeybird whispered. “That makes us sound important!”

“Why have you come?” questioned the robed man as he paced forward. His steps were slow, collected and they echoed in the hollowness of the hall as loud as the popping bubbles.

“It was the will of my father.”

The man approached him, getting close enough for Ren too see his face. A line of green paint ran all the way from his brow to his large jaw. His eyes were so bright they could have almost be white.

“What do you seek?” he asked.

Ren gulped, “You. Alomar.”

“Wrong!” he thundered. “I am not Alomar, but he is here. Follow me son of Primus.”

“Oh great! Maybe now we eat!” exclaimed Niddler, still shaking.

Ren shot him a side look and followed the man along the empty hall.

They walked in silence along a maze of bare corridors, until their guide stopped in his tracks. His white eyes were fixed upon the silhouette of a hand somebody had painted on the rock. Ren and Niddler exchanged a confused look before the man spoke.

“Place your hand over, son of Primus.”

Ren did it.

A grating sound followed and he held his breath as the rock slid out of the way. He had to close his eyes when the gleam of the splendid amulet hidden behind the wall hit them.

Ren blinked, letting his sight adjust to the brightness. It was an oval shaped gem, the bright blue of the morning sky. It was wrapped in a frame of pure gold, fashioned in the soft pattern of waves. The oval gem contained another smaller square stone of a darker shade of blue, which was encircled by a thin line of gold.

 “In darkness and light, this will be your guide,” recited the man as he placed the amulet around Ren's neck.

He then walked a few steps forward and placed his hand on another spot on the wall. No sign marked the place, but when his hand reached the rocks the entire wall slowly slid out of the way, revealing a descending staircase.

“Alomar awaits,” was all their guide said.

Ren nodded and ventured down the stairs.

 

* * *

  

Alomar's quarters were nothing but a grosser and darker version of the main hall. Sickening streams of slimy green water sprang from the stony walls and flowed into a damp of green slime. The bubbles seemed to grow bigger and their popping louder.

The humid air impregnated with the sweet smell of rotting fruit made it hard to breathe. Ren started to feel dizzy.

“What kind of man would live like this?” he wondered out loud.

“Maybe he's a meat-eater!” Niddler got closer. The smell didn't seem to bother him as much, but the monkeybird looked scared out of its wits.

Where did his father send him to, Ren would soon find out.

“Alomar!” he called.

Nothing happened, the only noise was the bubbling from the putrid damp.

“I say he's not here and we get away, uh Ren?” peeped Niddler.

“Alomar!” Ren called again.

Something thumped and the floor trembled beneath his feet. Another thump followed, and then another. Something big was coming out off the darkness.

Ren's right hand moved to cup the blue stone around his neck. _In darkness and in light this will be your guide._ Another challenge approached him, another enemy, another monster. The amulet was perhaps the weapon he would use to fight whatever was coming to meet him.

He clenched his jaw and squeezed the stone harder.

The beast emerged.

Niddler soared in the air, screaming like a monkey; his wings flapped so vehemently they sent red feathers flying around.

A lizard, or something close to that. A freak of nature two times taller than Ren; way larger. It walked on his massive hinder legs, dragging its heavy tail behind. Its arms were long and bulky, its fingers had claws as big as knives. The scarier part of it though was the jaw, where two lines of sharp teeth glistened.

For a moment Ren forgot about the amulet and drew his sword. Bile burnt in the back of his throat. He couldn't fight that monster with a broken sword.

He clenched the stone around his neck, expecting something to happen. Nothing did. That couldn't be, his father had sent him there, Jenna had guided him there; there had to be a way out.

“Alomar!” Ren shouted, he couldn't hide the panic in his voice. “I'm the son of Primus, I was sent to you by my father. Call off your beast!”

“I am Alomar,” the beast spoke.

Ren's breath froze midway. Niddler squawked, and wrapped himself around his leg almost knocking him to the ground.

“You?” Ren blinked, a drop of sweat ran down his forehead. “I expected a-”

“A man?” the beast thundered. “You have a lot to learn, Son of Primus. It is not only men who direct the fare of this world.”

“Forgive my... Ignorance.”

Alomar cocked his huge head. His scales were the same shade of green of the bubbling water.

“King Primus has sent you here. How fares our king?”

Ren opened his mouth but no words came out. He shook his head.

Alomar threw his head up and roared. His breath was hot, wet and smelled like rotten seaweed. It hit Ren like a wind of pestilence, and he gagged.

“How?” the beast asked.

Ren couldn't focus. It was too hard to breathe.

“How did our king die?” Alomar took a step forward; the floor trembled.

“He was captured by the pirate Bloth, he died after fleeing the ship. He told me to seek you, Jenna gave me this sword, your man this amulet,” he sucked in some more disgusting air. “Bloth said something about Thirteen Treasures of Rule”

“Bloth said?” Alomar roared again. “You have met Bloth?”

“He captured me. I escaped with the help of this friend of mine. He flew me here.” The rhythmic bubbling of the water did nothing to help his dizziness. “What are these Treasures?”

Ren wondered whether Alomar drank that sickening water.

“All will be revealed,” was all the overgrown lizard said.

Alomar stomped all the way to the nearest wall of the cave. When he opened his massive jaw a flame sprung out, hitting the stone. At first nothing happened, but then some inscriptions appeared on the wall, the letters shone like gold. Ren read them aloud.

 

_"Thirteen Treasure of Ancient Time,_

_Thirteen Lessons of Rule in Rhyme._

_To find the jewels in secret places,_

_follow where the Compass faces._

_If returned from the shore beyond,_

_a new day dawns for Octopon._

_If they fall into evil hands,_

_darkness descends on all the lands._

_For these riches two shall vie,_

_in the realm of Dark Water where the Treasures lie."_

 

“What's that last part mean?” Niddler peeped.

“There is another seeking the Treasures of Rule.”

“Bloth!” Ren uttered.

“No, son of Primus. You will soon learn evil forces are at work, enemies even Bloth shall fear.”

“What-”

“The Dark Water has come, it has spread like a disease across the twenty seas, destroying and devouring everything it touches. The owner of the Compass is the only one who can stop it, by finding the Thirteen Treasures of Rule and by bringing them back to Octopon. You Ren, last living son of King Primus, are the one destined to embark on the quest.”

He'd wished for adventures, he'd dreamed about sailing into the unknown. Dreaming felt so much different.

“How do I find these Treasures?”

“The Compass,” Alomar's slit eyes focused on the gem around Ren's neck. “It will lead the way.”

The booming toll of the gong echoed from the hall above. Alomar jerked his head up in the air, like listening to something Ren couldn't hear.

“They are here. Don't waste another moment, go!” he roared.

“What's happening? Who's here?”

“Bloth. Go, son of Primus. Get on a boat, follow the Compass, save our world. My time has come to render a last service to your father.”

“Alomar-”

“Flee! I will see you're safely away.”

“Ren, let's do as he says,” Niddler pulled his arms.

“And remember,” Alomar added. “If the Compass or the Treasures were to fall into wrong hands, our world would end.”

He turned his massive body in the direction of the staircase.

Ren looked for the last time at King Primus' spiritual guide. He was now ascending the staircase, his steps resounded like stones hitting the ground. Then Ren raised his arms as a sign for Niddler to take hold of him and fly away.

 

* * *

 

“So what comes next, Ren?” chirped Niddler.

They'd landed on a desert islet to rest. They both were too weary to carry on.

Niddler had found some wild berries and he chewed on them like his life depended on it.

Ren grabbed hold of the gem around his neck, its blue stone gleamed in the night.

“In darkness and light, this will be your guide,” he chanted as some instinct made him raise it up in the air.

The Compass spun around once and for a heartbeat Ren felt it shake in his hand. Then a blue beam sprouted from it, travelling far in the distance brighter than any lighthouse had the right to be. It pointed to the east.

Niddler ruffled his red wings and screamed like a monkey. Ren was ready to bet his companion's voice could travel as far as the blue light of the Compass.

“The Compass is pointing out to sea, so I guess the first order of business is to buy a boat. Any ideas?”

“Well, if you think I'm going to carry you, forget it!” the monkeybird's stomach growled. “And you still owe me those minga melons.”

It had been easy to promise Niddler food while bargaining for his life on the pirate's ship. For the first time now Ren realized that unless he got anything edible from a free land, he could not afford a single clam.

“Niddler, I'm sorry but,” he hesitated. “I have no money to get you food.”

Niddler squawked. “No money?”

“Not a single drabulin.”

“The prince of Octopon has no money to feed a starving monkeybird? You might be kinder than Fish Lips but you're not a better master, Ren!”

“Master?” Ren straightened his back. “I'm not your master, Niddler!”

“Of course you are, I need a master and I chose you. Why do you think I risked my feathers to get you from the Maelstrom? Uh? Your pretty face?”

“Niddler, I don't want to be your master. I... I can be your friend.”

Niddler squawked and went silent, his green eyes wide open and fixed on Ren's face.

“You know,” Ren went on. “A master commands for his own good, but friends, they work together. Friends help each other.”

The monkeybird was silent for once, which made Ren nervous. The sudden fear the Niddler would fly away, abandoning him on that islet, hit him in the chest. The Compass showed him the way to the Treasures, but it couldn't fly him away from there.

“I will help you, if you will help me,” Ren added as tenderly as he could.

“Friends?” Niddler seemed to taste the word on his yellow beak.

Ren nodded.

“I think a monkeybird can have a friend after all,” he cocked his head. “Even if he doesn't have feathers.”

“So that's done now, we're friends!”

Better not give Niddler time to change his mind.

“We spend the night here, we try to rest. Tomorrow fly me to the nearest village, my friend, and I'll find a way to feed you!”

Niddler did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing in Niddler's POV was both interesting and fun. I was there in front of my laptop wondering: "so, you're a monkeybird who has just escaped the mighty Lord Pirate and you're now flying for your life across the twenty seas of Mer on a very empty stomach. Also, you have nowhere to go. What's going on in your head?" 
> 
> I hope you liked the result :) 
> 
> By the way, I decided to cut the part about Bloth and his crew getting all the way down to Alomar's quarters. To me it felt like dragging the scene on and on unnecessarily. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	5. The Quest (5 of 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

**Ren**

 

Ren didn't know the name of the harbour they landed to, but it didn't matter. What they needed was food in their bellies and a ship ready to sail.

A valid crew ready to embark on the adventure at his side wouldn't have been bad either.

Ren considered what kind of options did a broke prince have.

He pictured himself talking valiant sailors into the quest for the Thirteen Treasures.

_Hear me and my friend The Monkeybird out, oh brave seamen. I, Ren, son of Primus, prince of Octopon, chose you to be my valorous companions on this perilous quest. What do you say? No, I don't have a ship but my mission is of the most importance for our world, and inside my chest beats a noble heart. What? You doubt I'm the true son of king Primus? Look at this Compass. It will lead the way to the Thirteen Treasure of Rule. Still doubting who I am?_

That couldn't work. He tried again.

_Hear me out, oh brave seamen, the Dark Water is coming! And I, Ren, son of Primus prince of the lighthouse..._

Ren needed a better plan.

“So what's next, Ren?” asked Niddler.

The monkeybird walked awkwardly close to his side, and glowered at the villagers around them. They glowered back.

Ren sighed, “Let's get down to the docks.”

Vessels and boats of every kind were docked there. Colourful, plain, fast, new, old, bulky, small. Ren just needed one of them. He wondered how much. How much for the fastest? How much for the oldest? How much for the whole crew? How much for getting Niddler some food? How much?

Ren punched one of the struts. He did it because of the quest, Bloth, his father, his destiny. He did it because he'd woken up in the simple life of a lighthouse keeper, and he'd gone to sleep as the future prince of Octopon on a hopeless quest.

The pain radiated fast all over his knuckles, to which a sharp twinge in his shoulder joined.

“Noy jitat!” he cursed.

“This isn't a good sign,” chirped Niddler.

“I'm sorry Niddler, this is all too-” and then Ren saw it.

A piece of scroll nailed to the support strut he'd punched. It was a dirty, pitiful looking scroll where somebody had scrawled in a poor Merian.

 

_Sea man. Expert. Offer best fast ship for rent. Find me at main tavern end of main street, table in east corner, today, till darkfall._

 

“By the two moons, this could be it!”

“What Ren?” peeped Niddler.

He reread the announce out loud.

“I don't like it Ren, I don't like it at all.”

“It could be our only chance Niddler, we need to risk it.”

At the monkeybird's squawk several sailors turned to glare at them. “He does that for money Ren, how will you even pay the man? He will cut your throat while you sleep and sell me.”

Ren cupped his chin, as he contemplated the scroll. Niddler wasn't wrong, the seaman wouldn't want to risk his boat and life for glory alone.

He felt his lips spread into a grin, “Trust me Niddler, I may have a plan after all.”

 

* * *

 

The sign at the door was a rough piece of wood on which somebody had scribbled the words _Main Tavern_. A chorus of shouts and laughter resounded from the inside, as Ren lingered in front of the entrance.

“Well, Ren?” Niddler peered at him.

He took a deep breath, placed his sweaty hand on the door and pushed it open.

The air carried a mouth watering scent of roasted fish and freshly baked bread. It wrapped him in its warm arms and caressed him as sweet as a lover. Ren was starving.

He looked around. As promised by the noises the men were everywhere, their barks clashing in the air, and the ones who weren't talking, were either chewing on food or holding massive jars in front of their mouths.

From the entrance Ren saw a big wooden counter and a man behind focused on pouring the content of a black bottle into five tiny cups. The guests around the counter seized them eagerly, and gulped down the drink before bursting into thundering laughter and patting each other's backs.

His stiff back loosened at the realization that there were no enemies in the tavern, no monsters ready to snatch him. Just seamen, enjoying the ale. It made him think about a young lighthouse keeper, who liked to do that too. It felt like hundreds years had passed.

Ren braved another step forward when a short man approached him. His black eyebrows were as thick as bushes, and his apron could have used some washing. Ren began to salute him when the man abruptly spoke.

“Leave your beast outside, boy!”

For a moment he didn't understand what he was talking about, but then the reality struck him.

“My travel companion is no beast. He'll give you no trouble, I guarantee.”

The man glared at Niddler, his fat arms crossed. The monkeybird retreated his neck inside his shoulders.

“Jor, we need your help here!” called a voice from behind the back door.

The man grunted something behind his beard.

“Suit yourself, boy. The beast causes trouble, I personally kick you out,” he said before hurrying to the back of the tavern.

Ren and Niddler were lucky enough to find a table close to the eastern side of the room. They went to sit there, followed by countless curious eyes.

According to the message at the dock, their man was close; perhaps he too was staring at them.

Ren searched the inside of his boot to make sure the scroll was still there.

“It smells delicious in here!” chirped Niddler, while he reached for a wooden sheet placed on top of the table.

Ren bent to look at the object, it was a selection of foods and drinks. He couldn't afford a cup of sea water, let alone roasted seagull stuffed with goyja. They needed to act natural though, the monkeybird was already drawing too much attention for their own sake.

“Uh, why am I even trying?” Niddler slammed the list back down.

“What's the problem?”

“I can't read!” the monkeybird admitted, and Ren couldn't suppress a smile.

“I'll help you, for now I need you to help me find the man.”

“As if it's easy. It's full of men here, Ren!”

“The message said about a table in the eastern corner.”

He looked to the eastern corner and indeed a table was there. Seven man sat around it. The chorus of noises in the tavern make it hard for him to understand what they were talking about, but an animated conversation seemed to be going on.

Ren fought to keep still in his chair; one of them was the sailor they were looking for.

“That one!” he said, trying his best not to stare. “That is the table he's sitting at.”

Niddler scratched his head. “Yes, but who is he?”

“Well he must be-” Ren couldn't expect the man to have another scroll nailed to his forehead saying _It's me_.

“We'll wait for the others to go, at that point we'll know.”

So they waited.

Ren couldn't help but stealing secret looks at the table were the men were still chatting, while Niddler commented on the food he saw around.

He didn't know how long it was before two of the men left. Five still remained, together with the dreadful doubts that had started to seep through his mind.

Ren clenched the Compass around his neck tight, and stopped pretending to be listening to Niddler.

The sailor was their only hope, and he'd never considered the chance of a back up plan. However he could not deceive himself anymore; the men were conducting business, and he wondered what would happen if they found an agreement and left all together.

His mind started to race. Maybe he should have changed his course of action, and join the men, show the map to them all. He also considered the idea of approaching the table, and ask which was among them the one who had left the message at the dock, to talk to him privately.

He was lost, and the looks the guests in the tavern kept on shooting at Niddler were making him ever more nervous.

“Noy jitat!” somebody shouted. “We saw her, you bilge-spitter, she can't be yours!”

“Well, take it or leave it.”

The voices had come from the table in the eastern corner. The noise of chairs scraping against the floor followed, and Ren turned his head. Four men were now standing, just one remained seated.

“You are a waste of time, you kreld-eater.”

“The same goes for you, seamen.”

“I'll have me a cup while I watch you swing.”

“Swing? This one dies a dagger in the guts, I tell you!”

“Right you are, I'll see you at the gallows.”

The four men cursed some more before departing the tavern. The man who'd remained stared daggers at the cup he clenched into one of his big gloved hands. Ren took a moment to examine him.

The lower part of his brown hair was loose and crowned his sturdy neck all the way down to his chest; the upper part of it was tied behind his head, and a small lock was gathered up on the top cascading on his high forehead. He wore a sleeveless old looking jerkin, that could have once been bright blue. It was open on the front, revealing his massive chest. Ren could see at his side hung a sword.

The man looked up, and for a moment the two stared at each other. Ren lowered his eyes back to the list. He would wait some time still, and then get Niddler ready to act.

“You've been sitting here for over an hour. If you're not going to eat, leave!”

Ren lifted his head and for a moment he was lost.

A girl stared down at him, a frown on her beautiful face. The server, he guessed, noticing the tray full of empty cups in her hands.

“Uh,” he gulped. “My... Friend is having trouble selecting from your large bill of fare.”

He smiled.

“I don't know why the innkeeper tolerates these,” she pointed at Niddler. “Things.”

Ren opened his mouth to say something but she cut him short, “I'll be back.”

She turned around, her black hair swaying like waves in a storm, and as fast as she came she was gone. As beautiful as she was crabby. 

“Ren?” Niddler winked. “Maybe we should eat as long as we're here.”

“Don't start that now!” his voice creakedin a way he didn't like. “This is it!” he said, indicating the brooding man with a movement of his uninjured shoulder.

Ren got his scroll out of the boot and unrolled it across the table.

It hadn't taken long to convince the seller to hand him an old piece of scroll for free. In the end Ren had also managed to borrow quill and ink. There were still kind people around Mer, he had to keep that in mind.

“I still say you're reading it wrong, this is north!” he shouted at Niddler, pointing with firm hand at the scroll where he'd drown the shape of an island.

He'd laid out of all the details with as much care as he could; cliffs, streams, and a forest. He'd made up some names and marked the place where the treasure was buried.

“No!” Niddler screeched back, pointing with his hairy finger at the opposite side of the map. “This is north!”

A quick look in the man's direction confirmed Ren's suspicions. He had put his cup down and was now staring in front of him, his eyes too focused on an empty chair not be eavesdropping their conversation.

“With your sense of direction, we'll never find the treasure!” exclaimed Niddler.

“Hush!” Ren warned him.

His heart pumped so loud he was afraid the guests of the tavern could hear it. As he kept on discussing other details of the map with Niddler, several scenarios appeared in his mind. Scenarios that made his heart thump faster; the man spotting the trickery, the man attacking them outside the inn to steal the map, the girl coming back to order them out.

Too may things could go wrong. But then it happened.

“Perhaps I may be of assistance?”

Now that the man was standing in front of them, Ren could see he was taller than he thought, and muscled like a leviathan.

“I don't think it's any of your business!” squawked Niddler.

“I don't talk to mutant beasts.”

Without any invitation he sat down, facing Ren. His eyes were as dark as his hair, and sharp as blades. In fact, everything about his face reminded Ren of a knife. His cheekbones were harsh and the right one was marked by a scar. His cheeks were bony, and a pointy mustache streamed all the way down to a jaw that looked like roughly cut from stone.

“Guard your tongue when talking to my crew mate!”

The man's laughter was the sound of a blade grating against a stone.

“Crew mate? Scupango boy, you may learn something about choosing your _crew mates_!” the last word was a jibe.

“Did you just insult me?”

“What if I did?”

Ren sailed in dangerous waters.

“Listen,” he started, before a steaming maja-fish stuffed with stewed vegetables appeared in front of him.

He looked up.

She'd come back as she'd promised, although the tray that had once been full of empty cups was now packed with food.

The girl placed another roasted fish in front of the man as well as a basket of bread, followed by a plate full to the brim with berries.

“Uh... Wait, wait, wait we didn't order anything!” Ren gaped.

“No.” Her emerald eyes stared into his own. “He did.”

“A gesture of friendship!” announced the man, while the girl set a jar of ale and two cups on their table.

“What makes you think we need a friend?”

The man pointed at his eyes, “These eyes can spot landlubbers who could use the experience of a true seaman.” He then pointed at his long ears. “And these ears know when they hear talk of treasure-”

He stopped mid-sentence and turned his head around, something disturbed him. Ren looked the same way and noticed the girl was still there, a graceful smile shone on her face.

“Ah, this is men's business, off with you wench!”

He raised one of his big hands and shoved her away. She staggered and Ren instinctively reached out to steady her. She gripped at his outstretched arm and turned to glare at the man. For a moment Ren thought she might attack him, but the girl just turned and left without saying a word.

“You have a boat?” Ren did nothing to conceal his mistrust, when he turned back to the sailor.

“The finest in the harbour, for a cut of the take. Seventy-thirty?”

Ren wondered if he really looked so gullible in the man's eyes.

“Eighty-twenty!”

“Sixty-forty!”

“Fifty-fifty.”

He seized the map and set it back into his boot. The negotiation was over, it was now take it or leave it.

The sailor slammed a hand on the table.

“Done and done!” he announced. “Call me Ioz!”

He pulled Ren's hand in a firm handshake.

“The name is Ren,” he said.

He fought to stay collected but he could not help grinning like a fool. The plan had worked, they had a boat ready to sail and a new shipmate. He poured a generous amount of ale into their cups, and gulped half of the content of his down. The bitter liquid tasted like victory.

Ioz did the same, before seizing his fork and plunging it into the fish. Ren mouth watered as he hurried to do the same.

“Wait a minute!” interrupted Niddler while chewing on fresh bread. “Now what do I get out of this?”

“Three meals a day, monkeybird. And my promise not to pluck you bald,” said Ioz.

“What more could I want?” was everything Niddler answered.

 

* * *

 

Ren's eyes were as big as a leviathan as he gaped at Ioz' ship, drinking in all of her beauty.

She was a slender one-masted vessel, red and gold as the sunset. Her sinuous rail glided from the quarterdeck down to the main deck to and flew all the way up to the bow.

Ioz had called her  _big bird_ ,and he could now see the truth behind that name. A wooden structure shaped like the tail of a bird crowned her stern. On the opposite side, the bowsprit, painted in the color of the morning sun, closely resembled a long slender beak. Ioz had also stated her wood came from some mystical trees only found in a remote island of the far east.

She looked beautiful, strong and was surrounded by an aura of magic. She was the match fit for a king.

“She's a beauty,” was all he could say. “What's her name?”

Ioz' eyes wondered around the harbor.

“The Wraith.”

“You said she's the swiftest.”

“She is, as swift a leviathan in the morning sea, and they say she can also fly like the monkeybird here, or better. Here, help me get these onto the deck.”

They had needed to buy supplies for the journey ahead, and after offering some drabulins to Ren and Niddler, Ioz had sent them to get the water. He himself had taken care of the food.

Ren jumped high enough to get hold of the Wraith's rail, and lifted himself onto the deck. His shoulder protested but he was too excited to care.

Once again he got lost in the beauty of the craft. The boat was among the smallest anchored in the port, but she looked so much wider from up there.

He saw Ioz lift one of the barrel of drinkable water with little effort, and pass it up. Ren's shoulder cried out in pain when the weight transferred from Ioz' arms to his, but he clenched his teeth and pulled it onto the deck. They did the same again and again; by the end Ren's face was covered in sweat. He allowed himself to lean against a barrel, hoping Ioz wouldn't notice the display of weakness.

His crew mate was too busy looking behind his shoulders.

“Monkeybird!” he then roared. “Be useful, get those bags aboard, I'll tend to the sails.”

Niddler, who was already perched on the small bench set right behind the wheel, scowled at that.

“I'll need an extra melon for that!” he squawked, but after noticing Ioz' stare he flew silent towards the bags of supplies still laying on the dock.

Ren jumped down to help his friend.

“Hurry with that,” Ioz shouted from the top of the rigging. “We must sail with the tide!”

“It seems our new friend's in a hurry to find the treasure.” Ren forced a smile as a drop of sweat marked its way down his forehead.

He passed one of the remaining bags to Niddler who flew it onto the deck.

“I don't like him Ren,” he chirped.

“Everything will be alright Niddler.”

Ioz' spirits quieted when the last bag of supplies was placed next to the others on the deck. The man grinned, and shot a look at the open sea.

“By the two moons, we're ready!”

He leaped down from the rigging, the sails were now unfold. They spread across the deck like the white wings of a bird in fly.

Ren closed his eyes, enjoying the caress of the salty breeze over his face. His quest began, the lighthouse keeper had escaped the lord pirate's ship, traveled to the rocky cliff of Galdebar, and now he was on his way to the first Treasure of Rule.

Some of the merchants were shouting for people to come, and try their smoked squids and crabs; some other seamen yelled, some other laughed. Somebody else called out for thieves.

Ren hadn't seen much of the world outside the broken walls of Octopon, but he'd heard that no matter how peaceful a village could be, there would always be scoundrels around. As the future king of Octopon he was on his mission to free Mer from the plague of Dark Water; as the crowned king of Octopon he would dedicate himself to punishing thievery and free the world from piracy.

“Fresh clams!” some merchant shouted. “Fresh clams, mussels, crabs!”

“Honey! Honey sweet as lady! Honey!”

“Thieves! Stop them!”

“Scupango, twenty drabuls you don't make it to the fifth cup, sea mule.”

Ioz cut the rope connecting the Wraith to the dock with a stroke of his sword, and sped to the capstan.

“We're casting off!” he shouted, while rotating the wheel in his powerful arms. “Ren, take the wheel!”

He did as Ioz commanded him to.

“Clams! Mussels, so alive they'll sing in your mouth!”

“Honey! Pies!”

“Thieves! Stop them, they're getting away!” the screams echoed from the docks. Ren turned and saw the sailors, it was four of them.

Thesails caught the wind and the Wraith cast off. She was smooth and fast as Ioz had promised.

“Thieves, I'll have your heads!”

Ren looked back at the harbor, and saw the group of seamen standing on the dock the Wraith had sailed from, fists raised in the air and daggers drown.

“Ioz, what's this all about?” he asked his companion who was now standing next to the helm, a smirk on his face. “You'd think we stole this boat!”

Ioz' answer was like a cold dagger in the guts.

“We did!” he laughed. “Steer for open water!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome! 
> 
> The next chapter will up on October 18.


	6. The Quest (6 of 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter, especially the action scene in the Dragon's Maw, was incredibly hard and each time I reread it I find something I want to edit / cut out / rewrite and so on... In the end I had to force myself to click on “post” and be done with it. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it and if not, please tell me why. I'm here to grow as a writer and your feedback is precious! :) 
> 
> By the way, I'm still looking for one beta-reader (preferably an English native speaker) willing to check the chapters before I publish them. If you're interested let me know!

**Ren**

 

Ren woke up after the first good night of sleep since the day of the storm. The day his new life had begun. A full, dreamless night, lulled in the arms of the Wraith.

She was a beauty through and through. He'd taken his time to explore every corner of her, from the captain's cabin to the bilge. Whoever had built that boat had combined the love and care of a mother nursing her baby, with a thoughtfulness for fine details and beauty. The previous crew must have loved her.

Ren turned over in his bunk, the homespun cloth lining the thin mattress itched his back. There were five bunks like his in the crew's sleeping quarters, and even if they were a luxury compared to hammocks, they couldn't compete against the feather mattress in the captain's cabin.

Ren had asked Ioz whether he wanted the captain's room for himself, but his shipmate had shrugged and claimed himself a bed in the crew's quarters. Ren and Niddler had done the same.

Sailing the Wraith was better than any dream he'd ever dared to dream, although as enchanting as she was, the first two days of their journey hadn't been easy on him. Ren was torn between the guilt of stealing the boat and the shame of lying to Ioz.

On top of that his crew mates didn't get well along with each other. Niddler couldn't stop chirping about how he didn't trust the pirate and he never left Ren's side; Ioz nagged about Niddler not being able to keep his beak closed, whether that was for talking or eating.

The pirate himself though, was no master in the art of silence. Beside being a treasure hunter, Ioz had a passion for gambling, drinking and getting into fights, which had supplied him with countless stories to narrate. The man could go on for hours.

Ren wished he hadn't heard some of the details of those stories, but listened he did, and more than once he'd urged Ioz to go on. More than once he'd found himself asking question, after question, after question.

Ren had to know. He couldn't go back to his chores without knowing what had happened next, how did finding the treasure feel, what had become of Ioz' mate after the fire.

The pirate's past life was a book of adventures Ren was eager to read.

He pictured himself as an older man, telling a curious young boy about his quest for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule. Except kings did not have to narrate their own adventures; writers had the task of narrating the tales of the kingdoms and their kings, so they could be preserved for the generations to come.

Perhaps one day somebody would write the story of King Ren; he thought. The savior of Octopon, who befriended a monkeybird, mingled with a pirate and helped him steal a boat. He didn't want to know what would come next.

Ren couldn't put all the blame on Ioz though, the pirate did things the way he mastered. Ren should have known better than making the man part of his quest, but it was too late to regret that now.

Besides he had to admit that without Ioz, he and Niddler would still be aimlessly wandering around Galda in the hopeless search for a boat.

Galda was the name of the city where they'd met, Ioz had informed him on that. Of course he had also informed him about his stay in the city.

According to Ioz the place was good for finding work aboard, the inhabitants were mostly peaceful, not too friendly though, rather intolerant to humanoids, and they had a way of walking like their shoes were made of gold.  
The ale was cheap but it had a jitatin sour after taste. The only gaming house in the village was as useless as a jar of sea water, for it was empty most of the time. The local brothel fared better though, they had a brunette who knew how to do things.

A good village for a short stay, but Ioz had started to get bored; a good old treasure hunt was just what he needed. That, and the Wraith.

Ren raised from the bunk and reached for his vest. He donned it and tied his hair back. His right shoulder throbbed; the hard work on the ship didn't help him recover from the aftermath of his royal entry on the Maelstrom. He would keep on working anyway, ignoring the pain. Octopon needed him.

Before getting above deck he stopped in the galley to break his fast.

The original crew had fully resupplied their boat before it was stolen; a fact that had made Ren feel guiltier, Ioz happier and Niddler grow hungrier.

The monkeybird had spent hours looming in the galley, but as much as he'd indulged, the supplies would still last for about a month, if not longer.

Besides that, Ren noticed that plants had grownin the pots where just a couple of days before had been just dirt. Perhaps the Wraith was really as magic as Ioz claimed.

Ren sighed. The guilt still burnt; the future king of Octopon was no thief. He could return the Wraith to her owners one day, together with ten thousands pieces of gold.

He gulped down some water and decided to take a draja fruit. The pulpy melon would keep him going for some time. Ren cut it in two and dived his teeth into it.

A thud echoed from the pantry. Ren stood still and look at the cabinet. The thud was followed by a sharp, grating sound that wasn't the usual creak of timber. Rats; a small price to pay for stealing such a beauty.

Ren took another bite; he had no interest in chasing rats for the moment being. He ventured above deck.

A warm breeze kissed him softly and Ren bathed in the sun rays. The sea was as calm as glass.

Ioz was at the helm, head high, a grin on his face. That was where the man belonged. Niddler was perched on a heap of ropes, chewing on something as he too bathed in the sunlight. That was what Niddler was born to do. Everyone aboard was at his place.

“An auspicious day for sailing!” Ioz had noticed him.

Ren forced himself to take a bite of his melon. “Aren't you tired?”

“Chongo longo boy, I've been on land too long. I've craved for this,” he gestured at the open sea.

Ren didn't need to fake the smile that blossomed on his face. “How long have you been...” _a pirate_ , “living the life aboard?”

“The past seventeen years. I was a boy of twelve when I first joined a crew. A company of a merchant of silks who could use a cabin boy to swipe the deck among others. That was before the accident of the silver rings. But enough of me, two days aboard and still I don't know anything about you.”

Ren knew the question would come eventually, but it still startled him. “I've lived the past twenty years as a lighthouse keeper.”

“I see, young lighthouse keeper gets his hands on a treasure map and leaves to the quest.”

Ren smiled; it was not far from the truth.

“I guess you get bored inside a lighthouse,” Ioz mused.

“You can bet your sword on that.”

Ioz turned his head around. “Talking about swords, how does a lighthouse keeper get such a fine weapon as yours?”

Ren almost choked on the melon.

“Broken as it is, these eyes can spot gold and gems. And what about that fancy necklace you wear all the time?”

“Gifts, from my father.”

“Your father a thief?”

 _Primus king of Octopon_. “He was a merchant.”

Ren was not hungry anymore, Niddler could have the rest of the melon.

“I understand,” Ioz nodded. “Go now boy, tend to the rigging.”

Ren was relieved the questioning was over and hurried to the rigging without any further encouragement.

“And Ren!” Ioz called out.

He turned.

“I've never met a worse liar than you.”

 

* * *

 

It was on the fifth day of sailing that Ren felt the Compass vibrate against his chest, and before he could think about any trick to get Ioz below deck, the gem cast its light across the open sea. Bathed by the rays of the sun, the blue beam was almost blinding.

“What is this witchcraft?” Ioz stammered ever so slightly.

Ren took a deep breath, it was the moment for the truth. When he turned, Ioz' eyes were as round as the moons.

“The Compass, we must be near the first of the hidden Treasures!”

The first of thirteen, the first step in the war against Dark Water, Ren was so close.

“Jit-, what? Are you telling me that necklace of yours points to our treasure?”

“Yes! No!” Ren stammered, and the pirate's face went blank, his mouth slightly open. “There's no treasure Ioz. Or yes,” Ren went on. “There is, but it isn't a treasure.”

Ioz cocked his head, his jaw still loose.

“Well, it's a treasure but not the treasure you... That map is a fake. I drew it.”

“What?” the pirate came back to his senses and roared. “Five days at sea and now you tell me the map's a fake?" His massive chest swelled.

“We're all full of surprises, aren't we?”

“You jitatin boy, you lied to me!” he drew his sword, and Niddler squawked from somewhere on the deck.

“So, in the end I'm not that bad of a liar.”

Playing with the pirate was like tossing a fistful of cinder-sand on a fire, but the closeness of the first Treasure had numbed Ren's fear as well as his better judgement. He felt unsinkable.

“I swear I will-” Ioz looked at the Compass. “But that light... There are riches to be found?”

“Yes, the Thirteen Treasures of Rule.”

“Bilge!” the pirate spat. “They're nothing but a myth.”

“Tell that to the Compass,” Niddler pointed his hairy finger to starboard. “The first treasure must be beyond those rocks.”

Niddler was right. A wall of rocks rose high off the starboard, and by the unusual roar echoing from behind it, any seaman with half the wit of a barnacle should have steered his ship as far from there as possible. But the Compass pointed to the rocks and Ren got hold of the wheel steering hard to starboard.

For the second time that day Ioz' face betrayed his fear. “Scupango! You didn't say anything about the bloody Dragon's Maw! No treasure's worth dying for!”

The roar grew louder and louder as the Wraith sailed past the wall; and when no more stacks of rocks stood in their way Ren understood and started to share his crew mate's fear.

The Dragon's Maw was a hell of water; a caprice of nature where a fraction of the open sea extended into a river that cascaded at both sides in roaring waterfalls.  
As if the salty river in the middle of the open sea wasn't itself big enough of a danger, even from their distance Ren could see pinnacles as sharp as spikes jutting up like arrows and sinking back down into the water. Like giant daggers rhythmically piercing the surface of the sea.

His grip on the wheel loosened as his hands covered in sweat. Sailing across that path meant gambling against the ruthlessness of nature, the slightest oversight at the wheel meant certain death by falling down the waterfall; steering the ship on top of a sprouting pinnacle meant sinking and drowning.

The Compass pointed across the Dragon' Maw, Ren wouldn't make mistakes.

But then Ioz shoved him away from the wheel.

“You jitatin boy-” he growled, before something hit the deck.

An arrow. Somebody had lit it on fire.

The crew had just enough time to identify the foreign object, before a rain of flaming arrows washed down the deck and sea alike.

To Ren's surprise Niddler acted quickly. He flew to the deck and knocked down two of the water barrels, pouring their precious content over the fire. Then as fast as he'd acted he fled the deck to go wrap himself around Ren's leg.

Ren looked behind and an image of a dark pit stinking of death clenched his heart in a cold grip. There was not mistaking the shape of the floating leviathan chasing them.

“Bloth,” he didn't feel unsinkable anymore.

“You know that sun-blistered sea scavenger?” Ioz' upper lip trembled, his eyes shot daggers at the pirate ship.

“Yes, you?”

“Used to crew for him, ended ugly.” For once the pirate didn't get lost in narrating colorful tails about his past.

“Why am I not surprised?” intervened Niddler.

“Look out!” shouted Ren.

The naja dogs had moved to the catapults. The projectile missed the Wraith by inches and crushed against the water.

“This is a swift craft. We can outrun him in the open sea!” Ioz sounded confident.

“No!”

Both Ioz and Niddler gaped at Ren.

“We're within reach of the First Treasure. We're going into the Dragon's Maw.”

“Noy jitat boy, I didn't sign for this. We're getting to the open sea.” Ioz steered the wheel to port.

Ren leaped on the wheel and seized it, trying to force it to starboard. Ioz was too strong.

Another projectile hit the water off the port bow.

“You listen to me Ioz, the future of Mer depends on those Treasures.”

The pirate didn't let go of the wheel, instead he pulled harder.

“Well, one of you had better decide before we have the ship burn out from underneath us!” somebody said.

They all turned. Somebody gasped, somebody else squawked.

She had changed her plain clothes into finer silks and a short sword hung from a belt around her waist; but Ren could have recognized those black waves cascading along her shoulders anywhere.

The server from the tavern in Galda shrugged, “I wanted to get away from the drudgery of life on land!”

“And now a woman aboard!” Ioz yelled.

“And it looks like I picked the right ship!” she said. “I'm Tula.”

She managed to take one step forward before Ioz moved in her way. “Well, uh, _Tula_ ” he spat seizing her wrist. “I'm throwing you overboard!”

“No!” Ren shouted. “We need every hand. Look!”

The girl had distracted Ioz long enough for Ren to take the wheel and steer the Wraith towards the Dragon's Maw. The high wind had done the rest of the job carrying the boat to the river of death. There wasn't any time left for changing course, the only way out now was forward.

Ren gaped at the hell in front of them, and wished he could take his lighthouse keeper's life back. Then a roar echoed off the port, the pinnacle jutted off the water few seconds later. Another roar followed from behind, Ren turned in time to see another pinnacle emerge. And that was the moment he dared to hope they had a chance to make it out alive.

“The sound,” he said. “You can hear it before the rocks come up. We can steer early enough to dodge them.”

The Wraith was sailing at full speed though, which made it impossible to have enough time to locate the sound and move in time. “We must slow the Wraith!”

“We need less sail,” Tula responded before launching herself towards the mast.

“What does a serving wench know of sailing?” squabbled Ioz.

The serving wench knew a lot. As quick as a mouse Tula climbed the ratline into the rigging, seized a rope and skilfully secured it to a hook. She then grabbed hold of another rope, pulled it and without wasting a heartbeat she launched herself to the main top where she reached for the winch and rotated it with a strength he would have never expected from a girl.

The sails shifted to a horizontal line and the Wraith slowed down right in time to avoid a deadly pinnacle jutting up off the starboard.

“Now aren't you glad you didn't throw her overboard?”

Ioz didn't reply.

“Halt!” called Tula from the main top. “I see something ahead on the starboard bow. A light of some sort!”

She was right. A cliff towered in the middle of the sea and something gleamed on its top, hit by the sun rays. As an answer to his silent question the Compass vibrated and cast its blue beam all the way to the top of the cliff.

“The First Treasure of Rule!” cried Ren. They couldn't drop anchor in the Dragon's Maw, somebody had to go and retrieve it. “Quick Niddler, get the gem!”

Niddler squawked. “But Ren-”

“We don't have time, you're the only one here who can fly!”

Niddler's throat bobbed.

“Minga melons, at least ten, for bringing the gem to me!”

“Uh, better hold on to your promise this time!” Niddler chirped before he soared skyward.

By Kunda, they could make it. They would keep on steering the Wraith on the right path while Niddler retrieved the Treasure and they'd be out the Dragon's Maw in no time.

It didn't take long for Niddler to reach the top of the cliff.

And then another projectile shot through the sky aiming at the pinnacle. It took a terrifying second for Ren to notice the shooting stone had been set on fire, and when it crashed against the top of the cliff where the Treasure was, it exploded.

“Niddler!” Ren screamed with all the force he could muster, as if by screaming loud enough he could help his friend.

Black smoke wrapped the cliff like a cloud of death, and when it started to dissipate it revealed that nothing but scorched rocks were left.

“Ren, the naja dog is coming” Ioz roared.

Ren shot a look behind and saw that the Maelstrom had gained ground and was now entering the Dragon's Maw. His hope for a spike to sink the warship died as soon as a pinnacle jutted up just to be crushed like a sea shell.

“Ay jitata, we cannot out-race them!” Tula had appeared at his side and the sword was in her hand.

“And so this is the end? Blast that kreld-eating sea scum, I won't go down without a fight!” Ioz unsheathed his sword.

It was futile, Ren knew it.

In less than two moons he'd discovered his truth identity and destiny. He'd survived the storm, he'd escaped the Maelstrom unscathed. Against all odds he'd managed to get a crew, a boat, and made it to the first Treasure of Rule. That couldn't be the end.

Ren looked up at the sails spread like the wings of a bird. “You said the Wraith can fly.”

Ioz looked at him, his face dumbstruck. Then he understood. “Ren no!” he screamed but it was too late.

Ren steered hard to starboard, aiming for the waterfall. The stream carried the Wraith over the edge and the boat plummeted down to their graves; until her sails caught the up-draft and it gently glided far to the safety of the open water.

The rumble of the waterfall was now behind them, in front was a smooth morning sea. The Big Bird indeed could fly, the Maelstrom couldn't. Bloth would have to sail the whole way around to get them, and sailing the Wraith at full speed would put countlessleagues between them and their enemies.

“Incredible!” Tula was the first to break the silence. She was lying on the deck, a hand still clutching the rail.

“Insanity you mean!” boomed Ioz.

Ren felt him lunging and he didn't have any interest in defending himself when the pirate seized him by his vest, “I'm surprised we came through it safely!”

“Not all of us,” his throat clenched. “We were four, now we're three.”

Ren wished Ioz would punch him in the face as hard as he could. Instead his shipmate released him.

“That monkeybird you love so much died an heroic death,” he spat. “Scupango, I saw true fighters and seasoned seamen being taken down by sickness and famine.”

A hand squeezed his shoulder. He turned and his eyes met Tula's. Her lips parted to say something, but no sound came out. She blinked and cocked her head up, looking at the sky.

Before Ren could mirror her a red feather glided in front of his eyes. He gaped at it as it landed at their feet.

“Niddler!” he cried out, and looked up.

The monkeybird landed in front of them, and for the first time Ren noticed the beautiful shades of green, yellow and pink blending together on his spread wings.

“I thought you-”

Niddler opened his beak revealing a shining blue stone.

Ren reached for it. It was heavier than it looked, and soothingly cold. He clutched it in his hand, and perhaps he was going mad but it felt like the gem washed away the struggles, the pain, the fear. Ren felt like he'd just woken up from the most restful sleep of his life and his lips spread into a smile.

“The First Treasure of Rule,” his voice was nothing but a whisper.

“So it's true!” Ioz' eyes were as big as leviathans.

“Don't say he didn't try to warn you!” squawked Niddler.

Ioz had nothing to answer to that.

“So,” said Tula. “We have the treasure and the monkeybird. This is what I call a victory!”

Ren's smile died on his lips. “Ioz, Niddler, Tula,” he said, as he looked at each one of them. “I'll be forever grateful for everything you've done for me, but I can't ask you to continue with me on this dangerous quest. Name the port of your choice and I'll take you there.”

Tula cocked her head, as if not truly grasping of what dangers he was talking about; as for Ioz and Niddler they both stared at him, silent.

“Which way does the Compass point?” Ioz asked at last.

Ren raised the Compass to the sky. As if reading his mind the amulet cast its blue light across the sea.

“To the second Treasure of Rule,” he said. “East.”

“Then east it is!” Tula's smile shone a light of its own. “For adventure!” she shouted out to the sea, her hand curled in a fist raised high in the sky.

“Ay, for treasure!” roared Ioz, shooting his big fist in the sky.

“For Octopon!” Ren joined the chorus.

“For crying out loud!” squawked Niddler. “When are we going to eat?”

There had once been a young lighthouse keeper with a fancy for archery and ale, a young lighthouse keeper obsessed with tales of quests for long lost treasures. A young lighthouse keeper who could have never imagined his own adventure was about to begin.

ForThe destiny of Mer rested with the four of them against the Pirate Lord Bloth and his Maelstrom. The four of them against Dark Water.

Ren took the wheel while his crew mates trimmed the sails.

East for adventures, he thought to himself. And for the first time since the day of the storm, Ren, son of Primus, prince of Octopon truly smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was it for The Quest! The first chapter of Dishonor will be up on October 25.


	7. Dishonor (1 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes get to know each other, what could go wrong? When Tula and Ioz are in the same room, the answer is: a lot :) 
> 
> A couple of notes before we start:
> 
> Number 1: you'll notice this scene isn't part of the show. I've completely made it up cause I thought the story needed it. And besides, I had so much fun writing it! :)
> 
> Number 2: there isn't much action in this chapter but the next one will make up for it!

 

**Tula**

 

He was the future king of Octopon, and she had stowed away on his ship. Not truly _his_ , not even Ioz'. Tula would have never fallen for the pirate's trickery; the likes of Ioz didn't own ships, especially such superb crafts as the Wraith.

Ren had fallen for that though, he had so much to learn about life outside the walls of his royal palace.

 _No, no royal palace_ , _a lighthouse,_ she mused.

Ren had told them everything. He'd told them about the lighthouse, about saving his father from the storm just to have him die in his arms, about Octopon and about Bloth.

Ren was on a quest for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, and once gathered they would purge Mer from the Dark Water for good. She had hard time believing that, but after their adventure in the Dragon's Maw she couldn't deny their existence.

Ren had requested a stop to discuss the next order of business before they set sail again. The coast appeared on the horizon as the pink shade of sunset started to seep into the blue sky. As it showed on the maps stored in the captain's quarters, the village was called Kalatar. It looked to be humble in both size and population, but she was ready to bet that what the village lacked in merchants and seamen it provided in seagulls. Even without the help of the watchglass she could see the birds were everywhere. 

Tula tended to the sails while Ioz steered the Wraith towards the village. It was dusk when they made it to the dock. The faint smell of fish and spices mingled with the ever present salt in the air. And despite the darkness veiling the sky, the seagulls were still flapping around, their squawking filled the air louder than the splashing of the waves.

Once she was done tending to the sails, she leaped down from the mast. “I'm going below deck,” she shouted to the pirate still at the wheel.

Ioz glared at her, a grunt was all the answer he gave her. Good, she didn't like to hear the man talk.

Tula opened the door located below the quarterdeck and proceeded down the squeaky stairs to the dining quarters.

Ren had already taken place at the low table and sat cross legged on top of a cushion. The First Treasure shone in his hand as he caressed it with a thumb, slowly and gently as if it were the face of a lover. He was so focused on the Treasure that he hadn't noticed her.

Tula took another step into the room, and that was when she heard the sound of ruffling feathers. The monkeybird was perched on a barrel and he glowered at her while chewing on a minga melon. Somehow she had failed to notice him.

Ren called it Niddler, and Niddler was a beautiful beast. The ruby red of his feathers gently faded to the pink of sunset along its wings, whose very tips were the bright green of sun-kissed leaves. The feathers along the monkeybird's belly were as white as clouds, and they looked as soft.

A marvelous beast, as long as it kept its beak closed. She had always believed that the ability of repeating words was what made monkeybirds such a great entertainment.

_If I had only known beasts too can talk, and how much they do it._

“I was a child when I first heard about the Treasures of Rule,” she finally said.

Ren started at the sound of her voice and lifted his head. Never in her life she'd seen eyes of such a crystalline blue.

“All my life I believed they were nothing but a tale,” she added.

He opened his mouth to say something when a voice from the staircase cut in.

“She's anchored, time for our little reunion. I hope the ale's enough.”

The pirate stamped into the room and went to claim himself a place at the table. He seized the jar set on top of it and poured a generous amount of drink into one of the three cups. Once he was done Ren did the same.

Tula joined the men at the table, and filled her cup too. She had already brought it to her mouth when the doubt popped in her head: should she have waited for Ren to start? Tula had tried her best and succeeded in mingling with the Merians, but things concerning royalty were waters she had yet to sail. Daron could teach her how to dress and talk like them, but he could not teach her to deal with princes and kings.

“We'll go east, and if the seas are good we'll find the next Treasure of Rule before Bloth finds us.” Ren placed the shining gem in a pouch secured at his belt. “But we all know he'll find us eventually, and we need to be ready.”

“The open sea is our only chance against the Maelstrom,” Ioz drank from his cup as if he meant to wash the bitterness down.

“You were part of Bloth's crew,” Ren said.

“Something I'm not proud of.”

“For once we agree,” said the monkeybird before diving into the other half of his minga melon.

“Everything you know about him and his crew can be gold to our quest. You must know his weaknesses.”

“Weakness you say?” Ioz cupped his jaw. “His crew of smool brains.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bloth is mostly surrounded by jitatin humanoids with the brain of a sea slug. Just look at his _henchman_ Konk. A peg-leg halfwit, the laughingstock of the Maelstrom. Fish Lips persists in sending the piglet to do the dirty deeds, that's what I call a weakness.”

“Konk is the only one who's ever made it out of the Constrictus' pit alive. He, and Ren,” everybody turned to the monkeybird. “The piglet is smarter than everybody thinks.”

Ioz took a slow sip from his cup, his eyes narrowed. “There's some exceptions, Bloth's second in command, Mantus. The bug is smart and good at predicting your next move. It must have been all the years of gambling. Mantus won't say no to a good old gamble, and you can bet your broken sword his purse will be heavier by the end. The bug also makes a good opponent in a fight, you would never say that looking at his-”

“What about Bloth?” Ren urged.

“Bloth eats meat,” Niddler peeped.

“Fish Lips? Half a humanoid himself, or that's what I've heard. His father must have coupled with a dartha eel. The man is quick-tempered, nobody survives long on that jitatin ship. Don't look for weak spots cause you won't find any, he loves nothing more than himself.”

Ioz paused, his sharp eyes focused on a distant spot on the bulkhead. “The sea scum has at least one daughter, Gelda is the name. She owns both a brothel and a gamehouse in Qui-Qua. The gamehouse is everything a pirate might wish for, and her girls are worth the gold, but you wouldn't pay half a drabulin for that daughter of his. Take a good look at Bloth's pretty face and imagine his daughter. You know what I mean. And in case you're wondering, the answer is no, the girl isn't worth a jar of sea-water for daddy. Don't try to use her as bait.”

“Does the Maelstrom have weak spots?” Ren didn't sound confident.

“Bloth had the ship built in his own image. Big, ugly and strong. She's slow, but you saw their catapults reach far and they can always count on their scout ships,” Ioz paused to shake his head. “Ren, haven't you seen the Maelstrom it's like a town of her own? There's countless rooms, corridors, secret passageways, prisoners' quarters. You name it, it's there. Bloth had her covered in the carcass of a leviathan, they say nothing can sink her, nothing can break her. Put a sneaky bug as Mantus in command and no, there's no weakness I can speak of.”

“And once you're aboard, how do you get off?” asked Tula.

“You don't, woman.”

“There's always a way out.”

“Through the Constrictus' pit.”

“There's always a way out,” she didn't relent. “You should know better than that!”

“The only way out is wings,” said Niddler.

“Even wings could not be enough now, monkeybird,” said Ioz. “Mantus might be done training his dagrons.”

“Dagrons?” asked Ren.

“Ay, there's always a way out,” Tula repeated.

“Go on the jitatin ship and find it,” Ioz spat.

“What in the twenty seas are dagrons?” Ren sounded alarmed.

“Then how did _you_ escape?” she asked.

“I'm a smart man, woman.”

“Exactly how smart, pirate?”

“You ask a lot of questions, wench.”

“We're on the same boat, I need to know who I'm sharing her with.”

“That's a fair point,” said Ren. “I might know even too much about Ioz, but I still don't know who you are, Tula.”

At last it came, she'd prepared for that. Tula placed her cup down.

“I'm a warrior.”

Ioz snorted behind his cup.

“From Andorus,” she added.

At that the monkeybird squawked and the pirate slammed his cup down. “Not just a woman Ren, a jitatin Andorian!”

Ren's eyes went round as the moons. “Enough Ioz!” he warned.

“ _Warrior_ , she says,” the pirate wasn't done with her, and Tula was ready to face whatever was coming.

“What do you fight in that viper pit you're from? Flowers and leaves?”

“No, those we use. They can either save your life or end it for good. How would you like some in your cup, Ioz? You'll be begging me to slit your filthy throat before the end.”

“I'd like to see you getting poison in my cup without your jitatin hands.”

Ioz sprang to his feet almost flipping the table over. His sword scraped against the scabbard and the blade gleamed in the flames of the candles.

Tula mirrored him. Like the rivers naturally reached the seas her hand found the way to her sword.

The monkeybird squawked.

“Enough you two, put your weapons down!” Ren's voice was distant, as everything else around her but Ioz. She focused on him and only him. Her chest filled with the anticipation of what was coming.

Tula hadn't lied when she'd said she wanted to escape from the life on land. She had dragged herself day by day in that foul tavern, hauling trays of food and ale around. Her days had been full of fake smiles and swallowed disgust. Her weapons forgotten in the filthy sleeping quarters together with her pride.

To the abyss hauling trays of ale and food around, she wasn't born to serve she was born to fight. Her days as a wench were over, she would never go back to that life. Here she was, weapon in hand, enemy in the front.

_Focus!_

As much as she longed for the dance of blades, this wasn't a fight she could drag on for long. The enemy was massive and the room too small, she had to end it fast.

Tula rotated her sword in her hand and like a child, Ioz fell for that. He focused on the swinging sword not noticing her left hand sneaking behind her back. She got hold of the second blade hidden in her belt. Ioz wouldn't notice the throwing knife until it was well buried in his throat.

The target was close, and wide, Tula would aim well. She waited, longing for the pirate to make a move.

_Give me a reason to strike._

Ioz sat back down, placing his sword on top of his legs.

“I say don't trust her Ren. Nothing good is coming from a leviathan shipper kreld-eating woman.”

“And why should he trust a pirate?” she spat. “You were after the treasure, what are you after now?”

“More treasures on the way.”

She unhanded the hidden knife, placed her sword back in the scabbard and sat down, never breaking eye-contact with him. She knew the way pirates fought, he might have hidden daggers too.

“I say don't trust him Ren, he'll sell you for gold.”

“Noy jit-” Ioz choked on his words.“Jat jit, woman! I swear-”

“You swear, I won't believe a word coming from that scum hole you call a mouth.”

“I said enough!” Ren uttered again.

“And what was such a fine _warrior_ doing in that dive?” Ioz' filthy tongue didn't relent. Tula pictured herself slicing it off.

“Same thing as you,” she snarled back. “Waiting for the next adventure.”

“You thought you could have a share of the treasure, woman?”

It was her time to snort. “I don't care about gold.”

“Bilge! What are you after?”

“The safety of Mer.”

A liar could recognize a liar. “I said that and I'll say it again Ren, don't trust this woman. She'll cut your heart out and feed it to the leviathan king.”

And as a snort escaped from her nose, Tula fought to keep her lips in place. They moved too fast. She felt them curving up into a smile which soon opened to release a stream of giggles. She covered her mouth with a hand in a last desperate attempt to tame herself, but it was too late. Tula lost the fight and abandoned herself to her laughter.

She heard a choked sound from across the table, and soon after Ren's laughter filled the room mingling with hers. His hand was on his forehead as if he wanted to cover his face for the embarrassment. The blue gem around his neck bobbed together with his chest. Tula tried to catch her breath but when Ren looked at her she laughed even more.

“Leviathan king, Ioz?” Ren managed to say between the waves of laughter.

Ioz didn't answer anything to that, he kept on staring daggers at her.

Tula turned back to face Ren. “I was trained in the art of fighting and seafaring. I'm as fit as him to be part of the crew.”

“Welcome aboard,” his smile was warm.

“What were you doing in that tavern?” Ioz snarled.

If it was an answer he was looking for, he would get it. “I was in need of coins. You can understand that better than anybody else here, I wager,” she purred.

“Jitatin kreld-eating smool-” he silenced himself with his cup taking a long ferocious gulp. When he was done he slammed it down and left.

Silence engulfed the dining quarters, until the monkeybird resumed his munching.

“Ioz can be... Good company when he wants to,” said Ren, scratching the back of his neck.

“Charming as squid's slime.” The words had poured out of her mouth as cold as the northern winds. Tula had to remind herself Ren was the only friend she had aboard.

She smiled. “I'll try my best to avoid unnecessary fights, captain. Or should I call you, _my king_?”

His lips slightly parted as he blinked. “Ren would do just fine.”

“As you wish, Ren.” It was a pretty name.

Tula swallowed the remaining ale from her cup while Ren fidgeted in his seat. She turned to look at him, his fingers were playing around with the Compass. She smiled again.

“More ale?” he asked.

“You know where my cup is.”

The future king of Octopon poured the ale and they drank it in silence.

Merians liked their drinks bitter and strong and Tula missed the sweet wine of Andorus. The glistening red that carried the sweet scent of flowers and flowed fresh and sweet as a lover's kiss down the throat.

She chugged the ale trying not to let the drink linger for too long on her tongue, and when she placed the cup back down the room swung a little.

“Have you ever seen it?” she asked.

When Ren turned his head to look at her, his hair moved out of the way and the golden ring around his earlobe gleamed in the fire of the candles.

“Seen what?”

“Dark water.” The words felt like a curse.

His shoulders slumped. “Did you forget I'm from Octopon? Or what remains of it.” A smile that did not reach his eyes was on his face.

Tula had never seen the city that was said to be the Jewel in the crown of Mer, she wished she would one day.

“And you? Have you ever seen it?”

The question felt like a dagger in her guts.

“Only too much.” It was useless to fight it, memories always got the best of her. Tula closed her eyes and saw the river.

 

* * *

 

_The secret path among the bushes of violet berries, right from the copse and right again after the great hollow led the way to a secret bay. It was a small terrain next the riverbank, well hidden by the thick plants and high trees surrounding it._

_Aldian was already there, sitting by the bank, waiting for her._

_Tula shuffled her feet, testing the ground across the brambles and branches, swift as the river, silent as a leaf. She was determined to hear him scream out of fright, as he'd done to her too many times. She'd worked so long on_ _her stealth_ _,_ _she was ready._

_Aldian turned to study the forest behind, a grin on his face._

_“ I know you're there.”_

_Tula cursed._ _What made him a lethal opponent in combat, other than his dexterity with any weapons ever conceived was his fine sense of alertness. She longed to be like him._

_“You're late, Tula.”_

_She stepped out off her hiding place.“You are always too early.”_

_Aldian stood up and pulled her in a tight embrace, the sharp smell of his sweat engulfed her. Once again he must have hurried to their meeting place right after training._

_He told her something about being helpless against the urge to run there, to be with her, while she started to unlace his dirty vest. A scar was on his left side, she had given that to him._

_As ever his grey eyes stared at her, growing darker and darker. Tula took care of his breeches next. They fell heavily down to the ground. Aldian stepped out of them and bent down to kiss her. She returned the kiss before pushing him into the water._

_When he emerged he was laughing, his auburn locks plastered over his face and shoulders._

_Tula quickly got rid of her clothes and dived into the river after him. Soon enough his hands were on her and their body entangled while the gentle stream lulled them. Those were the moments when she allowed herself to get lost, and nothing mattered anymore but the man between her legs.Those were the moments when she allowed herself to feel the need. The need of somebody to want her, the need of somebody to love her._

_Except that something was amiss that day. A nagging feeling kept on bringing her back to the surroundings, making it impossible for her to close her eyes, making it impossible to clench her legs around Aldian's hips and bury her hands in his hair._

_Tula was as alert as she was before a fight, her senses registering every sound, every leaf, every gust of wind. And that feeling grew stronger and stronger._

_“Aldian.”_

_Tula couldn't ignore it anymore, something was amiss. She sensed danger. She could feel it better now, all around them. A cold shiver pierced right through her; it wasn't all around them, it was there in the water._

_Aldian kept on thrusting into her, his face buried in her neck, unaware. And then the black patch of water appeared from the depth of the river._

_Tula screamed. Aldian stopped, gaped at her and then turned around._

_“Aldian, out of the water.”_

_Whatever that black substance was, there was not mistaking it was flowing in their direction. He hesitated as if hypnotized by the dark water._

_“Aldian!” Never before had Tula screamed like that, in fear. But she did now, over and over as she pulled his arm as hard as she could. He came back to his senses._

_“Out of here!”_

_Aldian scooped her up into his arms and pushed her out of the water. He climbed up after her and she yanked him out, pulling his arms with a strength she never knew she could muster._

_Two tongues of darkness like hands jutted up from the patch of dark water, aiming at Aldian's foot. But he managed to get out of the water in time._

_The dark patch sunk back down into the river, Tula could swear she heard it screech._

_And there they stood, dripping on the bank, hearts pounding. Two of the best warriors of Andorus, scared out of their wits, naked and helpless._

 

* * *

 

 

The first one to go was a little boy, they said a patch of darkness swallowed him. The second was a boat and the two fishers manning it.

Like a small drop of poison slowly consuming a body, rotting it from the inside, what was a patch of darkness had smothered the crystal water, devouring everything and everyone in its path. And the more it devoured, the more it grew.

The last time she'd looked at the river, a tear finding its way across her face, it was a pulsing stream of black death. It was then she had left her homeland.

“I won't let it devour this world, I'd do anything I can to stop this curse.” She placed her hand on top of his. “I'm glad our paths joined. Your quest is my quest.”

Ren closed his eyes for a moment and nodded, when he opened them the shade of a smile was on his lips.

“I'm glad I'm not alone in this,” he said.

Tula felt his thumb caress her hand the same way it had caressed the First Treasure moments before.

“Good,” she stood up. Enough bitter ale, her head swayed too much for her liking. “Time for me to go,” _before I do something stupid,_ “And get some sleep. After five nights on the floor no bunk has ever tempted me so much.”

“Don't take the one on the left side of the sleeping quarters, Ioz likes to sleep in there,” he said, smiling.

“I won't,” she placed a hand on her forehead to steady herself as she giggled. “My king.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing in Tula's POV (that girl is my favorite. I love her. I love her a lot.) It was intriguing to imagine what went on in Andorus before she embarked on her own quest, as it was fascinating to generally dive deeper into her character.
> 
> The next chapter will be up on November 1.


	8. Dishonor (2 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to keep to my publishing schedule, so here I am with the weekly update. However, a bunch of unexpected things happened and I was left with too little time to properly edit this chapter. I might (most likely will) still do some edits later this week, but for the moment being, here's the new chapter in all of its imperfect glory! :)
> 
> As ever, a little reminder: if you have any suggestion on how to improve my writing please let me know! Comments and feedback are welcome and much needed!
> 
> And a WARNING! This chapter contains some violence and blood.

 

**Ren**

 

Ren opened his eyes, and the sun rays seeping through the portholes saluted him. He stretched out and took a look around the sleeping quarters; Niddler was snoring as loud as a thunderstorm from the bunk next to his. There was no trace of Ioz and Tula. 

They had sailed eastwards from Kalatar, following the lead of the Compass. The first days of their journey together as a crew had been quiet and blessed with a sea as calm as glass, and Ren had spent his time between the wheel and the rigging.

More than once Ioz had grumbled that to be the heir of a legendaryseafaring dynasty Ren sailed like a common fisher,and in the end, he'd taken it upon himself to instruct Ren in what he called _true sailing_.Much to Ren's surprise Ioz had turned out to be a patient teacher, and as blunt as he might be, more than once Ren had caught him smiling, and more than once Ren had earned a pat on the shoulder. Pirate or not, Ren couldn't deny he enjoyed Ioz' company, and after all, he'd also got used to the nastiest details of his incredible stories. He couldn't wait for those moments of rest where the two of them would sit together with a cup of ale in hand.

Tula never joined; after that first night in the dining quarters together, she'd kept to herself. She would show up above deck, do her job and retire when it was time for her to rest.

As for Niddler, Niddler had replaced Ren's shadow. The monkeybird had made it clear, he didn't want to be left alone with the others; and Ren could see Tula and Ioz avoided each other as much as they could. When they needed to, the words they exchanged could be counted on one hand with fingers to spare. And that saddened him. Ren couldn't help but feel like he was some weak borka paste trying to hold everything together and failing at that. He guessed he had to give his shipmates time to get accustomed to each other, time to learn to trust each other. Though at times he wondered whether it was wise for him to trust them.

Ren rose from his bunk, tied his hair back and donned his vest. He was about to get above deck when for a moment his eyes darted to the porthole. Ren froze. Boats were approaching the Wraith, and his heart skipped a beat. Ioz had described them in details one night as they tended to the rigging.

“Noy jitat! Bloth's scout ships!”

An instinct made him reach for his father's sword. Little could it do against the enemy's attack ships but it gave him courage.

The monkeybird curled on the bunk kept on snoring, unaware of the impending fight.

“Niddler!” Ren called out. Niddler lifted his little red head, eyes still closed.

“Get above and prepare for battle!” Ren ordered.

Niddler yawned. “What a realistic dream.” He laid his head back down on the mattress. “I'd almost swear I'm awake.”

Once again Ren had acted without thinking. Niddler was going to be more of a hindrance than a help, and so he left him to his sleep.

Ren didn't make it to the wheel before something big smashed into the ship. Next he was tumbling down the stairs, cursing. What in the twenty seas was happening? He climbed the stairs on all four not wishing to fall over again. “Ioz! Tula!” Ren called out, once he reached the quarterdeck. He jumped away right in time to dodge a projectile crashing down on the ship.

“What's going-”

A hand seized him by the collar and lifted him back up. “Quick!” Ioz' eyes burned with rage. “Take the wheel!”

Ren did as Ioz commanded. The compass next to the wheel informed him they were headed south.

“Scupango! Why are we so far off course?” he asked.

“Noy jit, despucho n'flan difen achkra!” Ioz cursed.

Tula's voice came from beside him, he hadn't seen her approach. “The master navigator here thought he could outrun Bloth's scout ships with a lot of fancy moves,” she said.

A projectile slashed right through the mainsail, ripping the fabric.

“Instead,” she went on, her voice as sour as a lemon. “The smool brain drew the attention of two more!”

“You think you could've done better, woman?” roared Ioz.

“Enough you two! Save your fires for those sea slugs chasing us!” shouted Ren.

“Right you are, Ren,” said Ioz while he hurried to climb up into the rigging.

Ren shot a look behind. The Wraith could win a race against the Maelstrom, but the scout ships were built to be swift and fit for battle. Ioz had told him each boat was equipped with a catapult, and it would seem projectiles to spare.

But an idea had started to form in his head. Even though the Wraith was not made for battle it still remained a bigger craft, and if her hull really was as sturdy as it looked... Ren didn't have enough time to further consider the plan, he had to act.

“They want us?” he shouted over the wind. “They can have us!” And then he steered hard to port.

The Wraith shook when the scout ship slammed into the side, the impact so violent that Ren had to grip hard onto the wheel not be thrown around like a dice in gamehouse.

Fearing the worst, he checked on his crew. Tula had seized the railing, while Ioz lay on the deck, rope still in his hands and his face contorted with rage.

To Ren's delight, the move had worked, the scout ship had sunk into the sea taking down all of its revolting cargo.

The fight was far from over though. As the first scout ship went down into the abyss another had approached the Wraith on the starboard bow.

Ren saw a grappling hook shooting through the air. He helplessly watched it fly over the deck and finally wrap around the mast. Another soon joined, and then a third one. The pirates were trying to climb aboard.

Tula leaped down on the deck like a bird in flight. She reached behind her neck and for a second something gleamed in her hand. She flung it across the deck. It was not until the object buried itself into the mast, slicing the rope of the grappling hook in a neat cut, that Ren noticed it was a circular blade.

Ioz took care of the other grapnels slashing at the ropes with his sword. They had acted fast but not fast enough. A man, dagger in his mouth jumped aboard. And everything happened so fast, too fast.The pirate had just enough time to grasp his weapon before Tula kicked his hand sending the dagger flying overboard. The man went for a punch but she dodged before it could crush on her face. Ren didn't see her unsheathe the weapon, but a dagger had appeared in her hand. Tula stabbed the man in the guts; and then she stabbed him again, twice, thrice, four times Ren lost count, the only thing he could see was the blade piercing through the flesh and the blood oozing from the wound. The man's mouth was open in a silent scream. Ren saw him trying to shield his belly with a shaky hand, but before he could get that far Tula kicked him overboard.

The fight had happened so fast that Ren was still gaping at the spot where the pirate had stood when something lashed at him and coiled around his arms and torso. A rope. Before he could react he was dragged overboard.

Ren splashed into the water, he resurfaced and sank down again. He wiggled like an eel in the attempt to free his arms, and as the water filled his gaping mouth, he realized two things: he could not swim, he was drowning.

Ren kicked hard at the water, re-emerged and sucked in air like a starving man before sinking down again. He had to get free from the rope. He kicked the water with all the strength he could muster and again he managed to come back on the surface. Ren had enough time to suck in air before he went down again. He couldn't last much longer. But there was no way he could break free from the rope on his own. What he needed was-

His sword! It was there tucked in his belt. But Ren could not risk of droppingit into the sea. It was his father's sword. He kicked until his head popped out from the water again. Soon he would run out of strength and he would never come up again, he would never breathe again.

A king's sword was no good to a dead man. Ren reached for the hilt of the sword, and by Kunda, he managed to draw it from the belt without losing the grip. And then he began to slice at the rope. His lungs were on fire and he couldn't fight much longer, they were begging for air. He knew that soon his own body would betray him. The sword sliced through the rope. Ren was free.

He seized the remaining rope still attached to the scout ship and slowly, summoning the last bit of his strength, Ren climbed aboard. By the time he set foot on the deck there was a fire burning wild in his lungs, every breath hurt. For a terrifying second Ren thought he might faint, but when he saw the man shooting arrows the rage kept him focused.

He was the pig-faced man, the one he'd fought against on his brief stay on the Maelstrom. _Konk_ , Ioz had called him. Konk stoodon the deck, an arrow nocked in his bow, his ugly face focused on the Wraith. He loosed the arrow.

Ren snapped the bow away from him before he could pick up another arrow from the quiver laying against his leg. Konk turned, his porky eyes growing as big as the two moons.

“Your turn!” Ren growled. Talking hurt.

He shoved the peg-leg into the sea. He went down grunting like a beast.

Ren surveyed the scout ship. Nobody but him remained aboard. As he secured the piglet's bow around his shoulders and laced the quiver across his back he spotted one of the grappling hook laying on the deck. He picked it up and aimed it at the Wraith now sailing closer. The grapnel hooked the railing, and Ren climbed back aboard.

“Ren!” Tula dashed to him. Her hands gripped his shoulders.

“I'm good,” he panted before sinking to the deck. He breathed in, the air on the Wraith was sweet.

“That was close, boy!” Ioz approached him, his sword smeared with blood.

“We were coming for you when-” started Tula before a squawk pierced through the air.

“About time you finished all that!” screeched Niddler as he appeared on the quarterdeck. When his eyes finally slid to the crew the monkeybird ruffled his wings. Ren couldn't believe Niddler had managed to sleep through the whole fight.

“You, useless beast!” growled Tula. “Wings are wasted on you!”

“How much that monkeybird would get us at the market?” asked Ioz.

Niddler pulled his long neck into his shoulders. “Ren?” he squealed.

“Enough, all of you!” Ren stood up, fighting against his spinning head. “Take position.”

Tula went for the sails keeping her dead stare on Niddler the whole time. Ioz took the wheel, and Ren joined him.

“You've made it off with a booty,” Ioz was looking at the bow Ren still clutched in his hand.

“I've learned from the best.”

Ioz rasping cackles filled the air, and Ren soon joined him. The danger was gone. He set both his new bow and quiver down next to the wheel.

It wasn't long before Tula leaped down from the mast. “Land! Straight ahead!” she cried.

Ren saw it too. The rocky headland was as large and as high as a mountain. It was dead ahead on their track, the only thing they could do was to change course and circumnavigate it.  
  
“Our path is blocked! Which way should we go?” squawked Niddler, voicing Ren's thoughts aloud.

Tula appeared on the quarterdeck, she pushed Ren aside and took hold of the wheel. “North! To catch the early wind.”

“No!” Ioz stepped forward seizing the wheel in his big hands. “South! To put the rising sun in their eyes!”

“I tell you North is our only chance!” Tula snarled, holding onto the wheel.

“Give me that! A woman doesn't know north from south!” Ioz shoved her away and she crushed against Niddler.

“Break it up, you two!” Ren ordered. “We'll just head straight for the location of the second Treasure of Rule.”

He raised the Compass in the air, and its blue light showed them the way.

“North it is!” he said.

Ioz crossed his arms and grumbled something under his breath, but when Tula took the wheel he let her steer the ship north.  
  
The headland was now off the starboard. Ren could see the green patches of moss dotting an otherwise grey and desolated rock. He secured the Compass back inside his vest, feeling grateful for the gem guiding them the right way.

Then Niddler squawked.

Niddler squawked as often as he complained about being hungry, but Ren had learned to recognize his many different squawks. That squawk didn't promise anything good. And soon he saw why.

“May the sea have mercy. It's the Maelstrom!” 

There was no mistaking the floating leviathan that appeared from behind the headland, cutting their track. Bloth had laid an ambush and they'd fallen right into the trap.

“What now?” Tula asked. Her voice didn't carry the slightest hint of fear.

“I think we should go south now,” Ren answered.

“Ren, our path is blocked!” screeched Niddler.

He was right, two more scout ships were approaching on the port bow. They were trapped, like goyja in a barrel.

Ioz cursed, “I should've seen Mantus' trickery last night!”

“There's no way out!” Niddler rolled up into a trembling red ball.

For a moment Ren was sitting in the Wraith's dining quarters. He could hear Ioz grunting that there was no way out of the Maelstrom and Tula stubbornly replying _there's always a way out_. There must be a way out. Always. Ren looked, searching, and by Kunda, he found it. An opening, in the headland, a cave. He could not say whether it was big enough for the Wraith to fit through but it was either going down with the ship and attempt a swim inside the cave, or going down the Constrictus' pit.

“He hasn't won yet!” he steered hard to starboard.

“Are you mad boy?” Ioz roared.

“I know what I'm doing.”

“No, you don't!” This time though, Ioz didn't try to stop him.

The move was desperate, but it worked. Ren managed to steer the ship in time and aim straight for the cave. How they would get out of there was still a mystery, but the Maelstrom, with its size, could not chase them inside the cave.

As the Wraith sailed under the dark tunnel, a crack echoed from the top of the mast, and before Ren could look up a deafening crash followed when something shattered on the deck. Suddenly Ren could feel eyes all over him. He turned and met Ioz' and Tula's glares.

“We never used that crow's nest much, anyway,” he shrugged. “Quick, get the torches!” he ordered.

It was dark inside, they had to light torches before the darkness swallowed them whole. His shipmates hurried to follow his order. The fire of the torches was too little for Ren's liking, but it would make do.

Ren shivered and felt the goosebumps rising on his arms. It was cold inside the cave, and the silence was almost as chilling. The only sounds were the splashing of the water against the ship and something dropping in the distance, the trickle intensified by the hollowness of the cave.

“Well, isn't this a cheerful spot?” Niddler's squawk broke the stillness of cave.

“Stop it, Niddler!” Ren was in no mood for sarcasm. They had to find a way out of the cave, or they might be sailing in the darkness forever.

“We'll lose both Bloth and our way in this infernal maze,” Ioz grunted.

The further they sailed into the cave, that darker it became. The further they advanced, the more corridors and side paths appeared ahead.

Tula grunted and was about to say something when Ioz shushed her. “Did you hear that?”

Ren hadn't heard anything, but that was the moment the lights of their torches went off. Darkness engulfed them.

Something crawled along his leg, and his first instinct was to kick the thing before he realized it was Niddler. The monkeybird was shaking.

“I've got another torch,” Ren said.

It must have been somewhere in the small chest underneath the wheel. Ren felt the chest till he found its lock and he opened it with shaky hands. Any moment the Wraith could crash against the rocky walls and sink, he had to be faster.

Ren held his breath and found the torch. Feeling the bottom of the chest he finally located the flint. The worst was gone, lighting a torch in the darkness was an easy task for a lighthouse keeper. In less than a heartbeat the flame ignited, bathing the Wraith inits feeble light.

The pale people were standing all over the deck, surrounding them. Some of them had arrows nocked in their bows, some of them brandished lances and swords.

“Make a move,” said one of them. “And it will be your last.”

 

* * *

 

**Niddler**

 

The pale captain called Ren a liar and ordered him and the crew to hand over their weapons. Ren was the first to place his golden sword down and Tula followed, her face as hard as stone.

They all turned to Ioz then. The pirate's snarled and slowly unsheathed his big ugly sword. He put it down on the deck, gently, as if it were a baby.

“All of your weapons,” the pale captain ordered.

Ioz cursed and produced adagger from his boot. He slammed the weapon down, burying it deep into the decking. Tula placed a hand behind her back, down into her waistband from where she retrieved a small knife. She stared into the captain's glistening eyes as she flung the blade to the deck. It landed next to Ioz' dagger. Niddler shivered.

“You'll be brought to the dungeons, and there you'll be stripped. Any weapon is found on you, you'll lose both your hands.”

Tula hissed something in a language Niddler didn't understand and dropped two more blades. Meanwhile, another small knife had appeared in Ioz' hand and he cursed as he tossed it on the deck.

The pale people shackled their ankles and then chained them all the together in a line. There was no escaping.

When Ren tried to explain again about being king Primus' son, he was punched in the face and gave up trying. The pale warriors steered the Wraith further on into the cave without uttering another word. It didn't take long to reach the city.

The torches shone everywhere, casting their light on plain small houses and huts piled on top of each other. At first, Niddler thought the city was desert, the silence was so deep that he could almost hear his own heart beating. But then when their capturers yanked them off the Wraith and walked them across the city, he noticed the other inhabitants of the cave.

Men, women, children. They were tall and slender, long white locks framed their round faces where small eyes gleamed as red as drops of blood. Their skin was as white as milk; it was a skin no ray of light had ever kissed.

A rocky palace towered over the houses, it rose all the way up to the top of the cave, melting together with the rocks. That was the place they were approaching.

The heavy chain around his ankles started to scratch the soft skin under the feathers, every step got more and more painful. Besides, his stomach felt sadly empty. Niddler couldn't help it, the tighter the spot he found himself in, the hungrier he grew.

The doors of the palace were high and Niddler'seyes lingered on the thousand shapes and twirling lines finely carved on them. It was a great contrast against the otherwise empty and cold walls of the palace.

After a silent signal from the captain, the guards stationed in front of the doors grabbed the big handles and slowly pulled them open.

Niddler gaped. Gold. Gold was everywhere, shining brightly against the dark and cold walls. Golden plates, golden cups, golden sculptures and gems. Gems of every color, gems of every shape. Just one of those small gems could feed Niddler for a year. Maybe even more.

“Move!” the captain commanded, shooting a bloody look at Tula.

The pale people had chained her in the front, and she seemed to have frozen there on the spot while gaping at the hall in front of her.

“Atani!” she finally said.

“Move, pirate!” one of the pale men hit her with the bottom of his lance. Tula staggered from the force of the blow. Ren, who was chained behind her, reached out to hold her up.

“Jitatin cave worms!” Tula hissed.

The blade of the captain's sword was at her neck. “Say another word,” he warned. “I'll slice your tongue and feed it to your beast.” His blood-shot eyes slid to Niddler. He didn't feel hungry anymore.

Tula's lips quivered with rage, but she moved on into the palace. The rest of the crew chained behind her followed suit.

They hadn't even made it halfway through the hall when Ioz, chained right behind Niddler, stop dead in his track. The pirate was looking at his smiling face reflected in a golden plate. One of his big fingers traced the border pf the plate as if it were the face of a lover.

Soon Ren slapped Ioz' hand away. “Mind your manners, Ioz! Use your head and they may let you keep it!”

“Don't worry about me, boy!” scoffed the pirate, but he moved on anyway.

The walk along the corridors was a torture for Niddler's sore ankles. He was sure he must be bleeding, but he didn't dare to check, worrying that if he stopped they might hit him like they'd done with Tula.

They finally made it to another set of high doors. They were covered with two giant gold plaques; Niddler couldn't read the words engraved on them. The guards stationed in the front opened them and an immense room appeared in front of their eyes.

It was mostly empty save from the intricately carved pillars forming a corridor that led straight to the throne. A man sat on it. Even from the distance, Niddler could see the golden crown on his white head.

Their captors walked them along the corridor until they stood in front of the throne.

“Prisoners,” the captain announced. “You will be judged by his majesty King Obrik, lord of the Atanis.”

The king was not different from his subjects. His skin was as white as clouds and in the whiteness shone a pair of round red eyes. There was nothing remotely welcoming about them. His body, wrapped in blue silks, looked slender and taller than any other men Niddler had ever seen in his life, even taller than Bloth.

“Which is the one who makes the outrageous claim, Captain?” the king's voice was as dry and throaty as the captain's. Not a friendly sound. Nothing about these people and their homeland was friendly.

The pale warriors' eyes slid on Ren.

“Approach the throne, stripling!” commanded the king. “Pretending to be the son of King Primus is a bold and dangerous joke, young pirate.”

Niddler heard himself squawk, he couldn't help it. In one sentence the king had insulted Ren twice.

His friend stepped forward, keeping his head high. “My means may be poor, Your Majesty, but my mission is noble. With his dying breath, my father charged me to gather the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, in order that our homeland, Octopon, may be reborn.”

Ren would get them away from that cave and all of its pale people, he was the future king of Octopon, and he knew how to talk.

The pale king cocked his head. “The Treasures of Rule are said to be lost.”

“Not lost, Your Majesty, but hidden throughout the realm of Dark Water.”

“And your quest brought you sneaking into my kingdom uninvited and unannounced?”

Tula snarled something between her teeth.

Ren went on. “We were forced to take refuge here, from Bloth!”

A collective gasp echoed in the hollow room, and it was soon followed by a chorus of whispers. The king jumped up from his throne, his silks swaying like waves. “Oh, so Bloth is part of this too,” he thundered before going silent.

His red eyes stared at Ren for a long moment, and then they slowly slid over the other members of the crew. “An interesting tale, young pirate. But my court already has a storyteller.”

Ioz cursed.

“Captain,” the king went on. “Escort this liar and his friends off our island.”

Niddler wondered why the Atanis needed to wield their lances to escort somebody out of the cave.

Ren turned his head around, his long hair flying from one shoulder to the other. Niddler saw him reach for his pouch. “Does your storyteller have this?”

The first Treasure of Rule was in his hand, its light outshining the gold in the palace. The pale king shielded his eyes with a hand and his jaw dropped. “The Treasure of Rule,” he whispered.

Ren placed the gem back into his pouch.

Once again silence engulfed the room until the king stepped down from the throne, his face in awe and eyes fixed on Ren. He placed one of his bony fingers under Ren's chin, lifting his face. He studied him for a moment and then he finally spoke.

“You are the son of Primus! He was an honorable man, I see his eyes in yours,” the king pulled back his hand. “Allow me to provide you and your crew one night of safe haven. My men will repair your ship and give you a full stock of provisions.”

Ren released a long breath, his shoulders dropped slightly. “You are most gracious, Your Majesty.”

The king looked at the captain, the two stared at each other for a moment until the king nodded. The captain produced a key and slowly approached them. Ren was the first he unchained.

“Tonight, we feast!” announced the king.

Good, Niddler was starving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of Dishonor will be up on November 8.
> 
> Are you ready to read about King Obrik's feast? I had so much fun writing the next chapter, I can't wait to post it! :)


	9. Dishonor (3 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show, we never get to see what happens during King Obrik's feast, and I wanted to fix that! Hint: the King is not impressed by Ren's crew :) 
> 
> I came up with some original stuff they never discuss in the show about Andorus and its people. You'll find some notes about it at the end of the chapter.

**Ren**

 

King Obrik had shown them around the royal palace as he told them more about his kingdom of caves and his people.

The Atani took offense at being called Pale Warriors, but that was not far from what they were. Their skin and hair were as white as milk, and warriors they were, all of them. Ren had learned the Atani were trained from a young age to master both the lance and the longbow. Their marksmanship was infallible, the king had bragged, and their eyes easily hurt by the sunlight could see clearly in the darkness of the cave. No unwanted guest had ever departed their kingdom alive.

Ren had never heard a word about the Atani, but he guessed they were not famous for their hospitality. The thought made him smile, and he wished he could share it with Ioz. His shipmate had never been so quiet. From the moment the king had begun their tour around the palace Ioz hadn't stop gaping around. It was the gold; Ren had noticed that too.

The walls of the palace were made of pure cold stone, and the spectacular carvings adorning the pillars and the architraves did little to make the place look any more welcoming.Although the gold, scattered everywhere, warmed the palace like a great fireplace. Ren soon lost count of the golden plates, cups, goblets full of gems of every color and shapes, and golden statues in the shape of fruit and boats. King Obrik's royal palace must have been heaven for pirates.

“Since the Year of the Black Tide, Bloth has warred with us. He can harm us little inside our tunnels, but outside, he sinks ship after ship until no fleet will trade with us,” said King Obrik. “I would welcome any effort to stop Bloth once and for all.”

“There's enough gold here to sink the Maelstrom itself!” Ioz finally spoke, and Ren wished he hadn't.

The king's eyes, red as fire, sent a chill as cold as steel down his spine. Ioz didn't seem to mind.

“The sun, source of life as it might be, hurts us. It caresses your skin and stabs ours with burning blades. It kisses your eyes and blinds ours. We don't deny its importance though; our curse is that confined here, in the darkness of our caves, we will always yearn for the kiss of sun. The gold, with its glow, reminds us of it. An unworthy replacement, but it soothes our longing.”

Ren opened his mouth to say something, anything to distract King Obrik from Ioz' lingering looks when Niddler's stomach growled.

“Enough talk about gold.” King Obrik voice was gentle and collected, but his burning eyes conveyed a different kind of feeling.“Let us feast.”

There was a giant table in the dining room. Its legs were carved into the shapes of waves so realistic Ren could almost hear them crush upon a shore; although his eyes were soon lured by what was on top of it. Six golden trays lay on the table, and no carvings would ever have his mouth water as the smell of roasted fish and clams did. There was fresh bread as well, and a golden cauldron full of soup. Ren's stomach roared, he hadn't realized how hungry he was until now.

They took their places around the table, and the Captain of the guard joined too. The man hadn't stopped eyeing them suspiciously, his mouth was still set in a hard line. It wasn't just for Ioz; Ren knew that heir of Primus or not, the Captain did not trust him. Perhaps the Captain had never trusted king Primus either. Ren didn't care, his stomach growled again and he had to fight not to launch himself at the food. He looked at King Obrik, hoping he would soon give permission to start the banquet.

The king, however, was too busy surveying the room, his white forehead furrowed. That was the moment Ren noticed the empty chair. Somebody else was supposed to join the banquet, and whoever that person was, Ren thought he'd be in serious troubles for letting the king wait.

King Obrik exchanged a questioninglook with the Captain, who shook his head. Ren took advantage of the moment to share a look with his crew. Ioz and Niddler were there, waiting for the permission to start the feast. And then Ren realized.

“Where is Tula?”

“She said she wanted to look closely at the carvings,” Niddler answered, unable to take his eyes away from the food.

“You must have heard about the Atani's carvings, Prince Ren,” said the king, his face now warmer. “They are said to be the most precious in all the realm of Mer. Your father had many in his royal palace, his praises still fill my heart with honor.”

Ren had never heard about the carvings, he hadn't even set foot in his father's palace, whatever was left of it after the year of the Black Tide and the fall of Octopon.

“I wish to admire them later,” he lied.

“You will, but let our feast begin.”

A lean page who'd been standing in the corner of the room grabbed the golden jar from the table. He then walked around filling their goblets with red wine.

It wasafter their first round of food and Ren's second golden goblet of sour wine that Tula showed up. She was beaming as she took her place at the table.

“Did I miss something?” she finally asked while filling her goblet with what seemed to be an unladylike amount of wine.

King Obrik's jaw slightly dropped before he quickly put himself together. “I was told our carvings enthralled you.” His voice was poison.

“Charming work indeed, I can drink to that!” she said raising her cup.

“I can drink to that too!” Ioz mimicked her.

Ren's crewmates gulped the wine down and slammed the golden goblets back on the table. He saw Ioz caressing its stem.

“Ay, wine!” Tula exclaimed. “Real red, I missed it!”

Her smile was so lovely Ren would have smiled back and poured her a second glassful, had they been in the intimacy of the Wraith. Instead, he took a look at their hosts. The Captain's upper lips quivered, the man didn't bother to hide it.

“Yes,” Ren stuttered raising his goblet. “A toast... To the Atani and His Majesty's generosity!”

He brought the goblet to his mouth and realized it was empty.

“And to you, Prince Ren.” the King said reaching for his own goblet. “And to your quest.”

King Obrik and his Captain went back to their food.Ren watched as Tula filled her plate with a generous amount of clams and then reached out for the jar of wine. That was when the Captain spoke. “The page will refill your glass, my lady.”

“Why?”

Ren's blood froze in his veins. He needed more wine.

“It is his duty and honor.”

“Honor?” Tula smirked. “Here boy,” she shrugged while gesturing at the goblet. “Let me honor you.”

The boy's face turned almost as red as his eyes as he hurried to serve Tula.

“I couldn't help but notice you have a peculiar accent, my lady,” said King Obrik.

Tula stopped chewing on her food. She seized the goblet, washed the morsel down and turned to stare at the king. “How peculiar?”

“Most exotic.”

“Andorus is Tula's homeland,” Ren intervened before his crewmate could say something irredeemable. “She's one of the finest warriors I've ever seen. And her knowledge of seafaring has already helped us out of many tight spots.”

“Andorus, I see,” the king lifted his chin. “Does my lady like our modest royal palace?”

“I find it most exotic,” Tula shoved a forkful of food into her mouth.

Ren wondered why King Obrik looked so hostile to Tula. _Modest royal palace_ , Ren hadn't missed the mockery in the king's tone. How did the royal palace of the king of Andorus look like?

That was the moment when the realization struck him. The Andorians were the only people in Mer who didn't recognize the authority of a king. _The kingless folk_ , Jenna's lessons were coming back to his mind. The wild folks, the people who lived in the trees. The people who spoke a language nobody else in Mer could understand.

“Talking about a royal palace,” said Ioz. “Don't you get bored living in this cave?”

“Bored?” spat the Captain.

As the future king of Octopon Ren knew he would have many royal banquets to attend, he just hoped they wouldn't be as long and painful as this.

“As I said,” King Obrik spoke. “The sun burns our skin. We cannot live outside. Like you do.”

“You can sail by night and sleep by day,” Niddler spoke for the first time.

“By the two moons, for once, monkeybird, we agree! The night is the best time to explore. Taking in the local color, if you know what I mean!” Ioz chuckled.

“Ioz!” Ren couldn't restrain himself from scolding him this time.

“Your Majesty,” his crewmate added as if that could make his remark any more proper.

“And who are you,” King Obrik sighed. “My lord, accompanying the Prince of Octopon on his perilous quest?”

“The name is Ioz. That's all there is to it,” Ioz moved to refill his plate. “Your Majesty.”

“And you,” the king went on, addressing Niddler. “Never have I seen one of your kind before.”

The monkeybird looked like he had frozen on the spot.

“Niddler is the reason I'm still alive today, Your Majesty,” Ren said. “He flew me away from the Maelstrom. I owe him my life.”

“Very well, Prince Ren,” the king gestured to the page to refill his cup.

“Captain,” Tula spoke. “When will I get my blades back? You see, I'm fond of those babies.”

“If the Captain has half the brain of a barnacle, he'll throw your babies down into the abyss, and you after them,” said Ioz.

“Naja dog.”

Ren felt suddenly tired, he wouldn't have minded retiring to bed.

“Your weapons will be returned to you by the end of the feast,” the captain's voice was as friendly as the sight of the Maelstrom on the horizon.

And Ren had had enough. Exhausted as he was, he vowed to occupy the rest of the meal with polite and shallow conversations with King Obrik. He was not a talker, but he tried to talk and talk and talk all over again, filling every moment of silence, so that his crew wouldn't get a chance to take part in the conversation. The wine helped him; it helped him a lot.

And finally, once the trays were empty and not a drop of wine was left, the King stood up to signal the end of the feast.

When Ren pushed his chair back to follow, the room around him swayed. He was exhausted, and worst of all, he was as drunk as a gantha pig. Fleeing the Constrictus' pit had been easier than facing King Obrik's feast after all. He couldn't restrain the laughter.

When the king set his red eyes on him, Ren was quick to apologize. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, after all those days of sailing and fleeing from Bloth, a belly full of warm food and wine feels like pure magic. And isn't magic a delicious thing? I'll never thank you enough, Your Majesty. Never enough.” He bowed his head, hoping his body would stay still.

King Obrik gurgled something along the lines of doing the least for the son of Primus and wished them all a good night.

Another scrawny page showed them to their rooms, and as soon as he crushed on the bed Ren was fast asleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "We should have never trusted Tula. She's from Andorus, you know." This is what Niddler says in the episode Victory, and this single line gave me a lot to think about. 
> 
> It would seem Merians don't think very highly of Andorians, so the next question I wanted to answer to was: why? 
> 
> The first and most evident reason could be their different ways of life. While Merians live in towns with street markets, taverns, harbors and so on... Andorians live on their island in strict contact with nature, which might be the reason why they're seen as wild, and probably uncivilized.
> 
> However, I couldn't leave it at that, and even if it's never mentioned in the show, I tried to develop other ideas for the story, coming up in the end with two other reasons why Andorians have a bad reputation in Mer. 
> 
> The first one is the absence of an authority. We encounter different Kings and Queens in the show (the King of Octopon, King Obrik of the Atani, the Queen Mother of the monkeybirds) but - please correct me if I'm wrong - it's never stated in the show whether Andorus has a king or a queen. So, I decided to make Andorus a "kingless land". 
> 
> The second reason is that Andorians speak their own language. In the World Book I've found on piratesofdarkwater.net (shoutout to that website and its creator!) there's a section about Ecomancers where it reads: "In addition to the common language of Mer, Ecomancers speak a distinct language of their own. This language is used for all spell casting, incantations, and when conversing with other Ecomancers." This last bit gave me ideas about Andorians (and not just ecomancers) speaking their own minor language, which would put another barrier between Merians and Andorians. 
> 
> All of this explains why in the first chapter of Dishonor I had Tula address Ren as "my king", and not "Your Majesty". First of all, she wasn't speaking her mother tongue; and second, she's from a land where there's no such thing as a king. It was fun for me to think she might have been misled by the form of address "my lord". 
> 
> And that's all. It would be nice to know what you think about it! 
> 
> The next chapter of Dishonor will be up on November 15.


	10. Dishonor (4 of 4)

**Ren**

 

Down into the Atani's realm, there was not telling day from night, if not for the torches casting their light upon the city. The Atani used to light them during the hours of sun and put them out during the night.

The crew marched towards the ship, and already from the distance, Ren could see the new crow's nest.

Niddler was already waiting for them perched on the rail, chewing on some fruit.

“Ioz,” he said, “What's with the robe?”

Ren had been surprised too to see Ioz wearing it that morning. It was a fine silk, the same color of the King's sour red wine.

“A gift of the king's. Beautiful, isn't it?”

Niddler didn't answer and Ren didn't question why King Obrik had gifted Ioz with a silk robe.

The King had kept his promise, the Wraith was as a beautiful as before, and five barrels of both provisions and water stood there on the deck. Ren threw off the spring line and the ship moved carried by the stream.

“Good fortune, young prince!” saluted King Obrik from the deck. “May the sea have mercy on you, and may Bloth feel its wraith!”

“And may the grace of the sea be with you always!” Ren bowed.

The deck of the Wraith felt familiar and welcoming under his feet. Ren hurried to the wheel longing to steer himself and his crew out of the moldy cave. Two days in the Atani's realm and he felt like suffocating, he yearned for the kiss of the sun.

Tula sighed loudly at his side. “Finally.”

“It wasn't that bad, in the end.”

She rolled her eyes and he couldn't help but chuckle.

It was not long before Niddler's squawks echoed in the hollowness of the cave. “I wonder what's inside those barrels, Ren. I'm starved!”

“Figures!” hissed Tula, glowering at him.

“Here Niddler, take this.” Ren handed him the map. If Niddler wanted to gain the trust of his other shipmates he needed to prove them he could do more than eating and talking. “Lead the way.”

The monkeybird turned the scroll in his hands, studying it attentively. “Left then left again!” he squawked.

“The direction is _port_ , Niddler.” Tula scolded him and Niddler ruffled his wings.

“So, Ioz,” Ren tried to focus on something else. “Coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all?”

“More rewarding than I ever imagined.”

Ioz finally agreeing with somebody was a good sign.

“We have a week's food and supplies, a map out of this maze and a jump on Bloth. Things couldn't be-” An arrow hit the wheel and Ren cursed.

Behind them was a ship chasing them; three Atanis were standing at the bow, arrows nocked, ready to strike again.

“In the name of King Obrik!” a voice boomed from the ship. “Stop!”

“Noy Jitat! That double-dealing weasel of a monarch has betrayed us!” snarled Ioz.

“Full sail!” shouted Tula, “We can still outrun them!”

Two more arrows shot through the air burying themselves into the mast and the deck. They were meant as a warning, the Atanis could have hit them if they so wished, and Ren knew they would.

“It can't be,” he said. “The king is a man of his word.”

“Tell that to them!” Niddler pointed at the ship chasing them.

“Stop!” the same voice roared again.

Ren's crewmates didn't pay attention to the warnings. Tula had climbed into the rigging and unfolded the mainsail to its full width, and Ioz had seized the map from Niddler hands and was intently looking at it in search of the next direction. That was when the arrow hit him straight in the chest.

“Ioz!” Ren screamed.

Ioz gaped at the arrow as he stumbled back a few steps. Ren leaped down from the quarterdeck and ran to him.

Then Ioz reached for the arrow jutting from his chest. “Just a flesh wound!” he said.

Ren's jaw dropped, the arrow should have killed him.

“We must press on!” Ioz shouted. “Tula, trim that sail! Ren man the helm!” he opened his robe as he spoke, revealing his unscathed chest. The arrow had buried itself right into a golden cup that had worked as a shield. Something else fell from under the robe and hit the deck with a loud clang.

“You dropped something Ioz,” Ren said, picking up the object from the deck. It was a golden plate and there was no mistaking the carving adorning it. 

“A gift from my mother,” the pirate said.

Blood rushed to Ren's head. “That's why they're chasing us!” he growled. “You stole that gold!”

“And why not?” Ioz snarled back. “I'm a pirate! I only signed on for this noble adventure for the treasure!”

“Could we settle this some other time?” screeched Niddler from the quarterdeck. He had taken the wheel at Ren's place, but the monkeybird looked utterly lost.

“Ioz, how could you?” was everything Ren could say.

“Yes,” Tula had appeared at Ren's side. “How could you?”

“Well, being that they'll kill us on sight, there's not much we can do about it now,” he shrugged.

A mad rage got hold of Ren. “That's what you think!”

He ran to the wheel and pushed Niddler aside. The son of Primus was no thief. King Obrik had called him a pirate once, he would not give the man any further reason to accuse him of piracy.

“Ren, don't!” Tula was on him. She seized his arms trying to pull him away from the wheel. She was strong, but he was stronger. Ren shoved her aside.

“You'll get us all killed!” shouted Ioz.

Ren didn't have enough time to think about it twice, wielding his father's sword he slashed at a rope hoping he'd chosen the right one. Part of the mainsail dropped and the Wraith slowed down.

“You stupid boy, we had open water!” Ioz slammed a fist against the mast.

“No we didn't,” peeped Niddler. “Look!”

If Ren's crewmates believed they could outrun the Atani in their realm of tunnels with the aid of a single map, they were wrong. Another ship cut their way out. Men armed with longbows were standing on the deck. This time there was no way out.

 

* * *

 

 

King Obrik had joined the chase and loomed now on the Wraith's deck together with the Captain and other twenty men with their nocked arrows and lances at the ready.

“Why surrender, young thief?” the king spat.

Ren bowed his head; the flames of shame burned so strong he could not bring himself to look at the King in his eyes.“The son of Primus is no thief, Your Majesty.”

“Return the gold and the library scrolls,” was everything King Obrik said, his voice cutting like a knife.

“Scrolls? What scrolls?” asked Ioz.

Ren approached his crewmate, his hand outstretched as a sign to give up the loot. “Don't argue Ioz, do as he says!”

Ioz produced some coins and gems from his robe, and then as a second thought unlaced the robe and let it drop to the deck. No silk should have clanged like that.

“All right,” he snarled. “But I didn't take any jitatin scrolls.”

Ioz was telling the truth.

“Hand them over, Tula,” Ren ordered.

Her mouth twitched and part of him hoped she would object the accusations. But without a word Tula produced a tiny scroll from her waistband and placed it in his open hand.

Ren looked at the scroll and then his eyes focused back on her. Her mouth twitched again, and this time she placed a hand under her vest, in between her breasts. She slammed the second scroll in his open hand. When he looked back at her, she crossed her arms and turned away.

“Atani law is strict, and our punishment is severe. You must hand the culprits over to me.”

Ren turned back to King Obrik, while some Atani warrior hurried to retrieve the scrolls from his hand. A young pirate the King had called him, he'd accused him of being a liar and then sentenced him and his crew to die. Now he called him a thief and ordered him to give up his crew for the killing.

Ren couldn't deny Ioz and Tula were thieves, but without those thieves, by now his useless body would be floating around the twenty seas, rotting.

Every land had its own authority to look up to, but the king of Octopon ruled them all, kings and queens bowed down before him. The king of the Atani was no exception. Ren stepped closer to King Obrik and kneeled down. “I will bear any punishment they have earned.”

“Do you think I will be swayed by this noble act?” the king spat. A heavy, excruciating silence followed. Ren didn't know how long it was before the king spoke again. “You gamble well, young prince. My punishment is that you leave our land, never to return.”

Ren could do that.

“You may be the son of Primus,” the king went on. “But you have a lot to learn about picking a crew.”

The trapdoor behind King Obrik popped open with a loud thud. Something jumped out and before anybody could do anything there was a man holding a dagger at the King's neck.

The man was as tall and as muscled as Ioz, his naked chest and arms showed a collection of scars that told a lot about him and the kind of life he must have lived so far. Ren's heart missed a bit when he realized there was something familiar about him. Another pirate as big as the first one climbed out of the trapdoor and joined him. They were twins.

“I want the boy's Treasure and the Compass” grunted a voice from the trapdoor and then the piglet hauled his pathetic body out. Konk was the ugliest man Ren had ever laid his eyes upon. “When I leave the island, I leave your king free.”

Ren wouldn't fall for that. “We won't do it, Konk, you can't be trusted.”

The blade of a sword was at his neck, its cold kiss sent a shiver down his spine. It was the Captain of the Atani that spoke. “Give him the treasure boy, or I will.”

“You do as much as scratch him, cave worm, you'll shark bait,” Tula hissed.

Ren turned enough to see she had a knife in her hand. She was ready to strike. He had to act before the situation got so much worse.

“Stay, Tula!” he ordered as his hands moved to the Compass around his neck and pulled it off. After that, he reached for his pouch and handled them to the piglet.

The ugly smile appearing on Konk's face sent a wave of rage boiling inside of Ren, consuming him. He felt its pressure inside his head and he could not think straight anymore. Thoughts of blood and revenge clouded his mind while the pirates departed from the Wraith still keeping the King hostage. They jumped down onto one of the Atani scout ships.

“Off the ship, or the king dies!” grunted Konk. The remaining pale warriors didn't need to hear the order twice, without a word they jumped down in the water.

And Konk spoke again, laughing. “Fools! You should listen to the boy, if you want your king back, you pay king's ransom!”

Konk's mates laughed, the sound sent a scorching blade through his chest. How easy it was to best the son of Primus. Was Ren truly supposed to restore Octopon and rule all over Mer when some sea scum could get the best of him?

The rage ignited like wildfire in his veins and Ren lost all control. The bow he stole from Konk was still there next to the wheel where he'd left it. He seized the weapon and picked one arrow from the quiver. Ren knocked it and aimed.

“Konk!” he didn't recognize his own voice. The piglet and his mates turned, and Ren relished the fear in their eyes. “You forgot this.”

He loosed the arrow. The massive pirate holding the king bellowed like a beast when the arrow caught him in the shoulder. The knife he held at the King's throat fell on the deck, forgotten. King Obrik didn't need any further encouragement and jumped overboard, into the water.

The second pirate was about to dive after him when Konk stopped him. “Forget him!” Ren heard him say, “We got what we came for!”

No Atani moved to stop the intruders as they hurried to sail away from there. In the past days, Ren had learned enough to know they wouldn't do anything their Captain or King hadn't commanded. The Captain of the Atani was past caring for the intruders, he sprung to the rail and jumped into the water. With no more than a couple of powerful strokes, he reached the King and coiled his long arms around him. Ren didn't hear the conversation that went on, but it didn't last long before the Captain swam with the King still in tow to one of the other Atani ships and helped him climb on board.

That was when Ren felt the wave of rage slowly dissipate. What had he done? He gaped at the bow in his hands, then at the Atani's boat sailing away with his Compass and Treasure. He could have missed the target and killed the king. Ren shivered.

“Ren! Ioz! They're getting away with the Treasure!” Tula's voice brought him back to reality. He dropped the bow and sprung into action.

“Ioz weigh anchor, Tula trim the sail, I'll take the wheel.”

The Atani warriors still on the Wraith's jumped down on their scout ship. They had no intention of sailing out into the daylight.

Ren's crewmates worked fast and soon the Wraith skimmed the water.

For a heartbeat, Ren wondered whether his ban from the Atani's land was still valid. He turned and saw the King standing still on the deck of the boat, his white hair plastered all over his face. The Captain was behind him, his hands on the king's shoulders.

“Left at the second tunnel!” King Obrik shouted.

“May the sea bless you, Your Majesty!” Ren answered.

The king's voice echoed in the cave, slightly shaking, “Now be gone, son of Primus, you and your troubles! May the sea have mercy on you!”

And may Kunda strike him with a lightning bolt if he'd ever do something so reckless again.

Ioz cursed from the deck and Ren turned right in time to see him run after a golden plate rolling to the rail. The object fell overboard before Ioz could seize it.

“Noy jit, jat jit, jat, jut!” the pirate cursed and punched the air.

 

* * *

 

 

The Atani's scout ship was lighter and swifter than the Wraith, Konk and his lot were leagues ahead of them, but they couldn't sail forever.

Despite the rage, Ren could not help but relish the view of the sun shining high in the sky. Its kiss felt warm and sweet on his skin.

Down in the cave, the smell of mold had stuck to his skin like a leech. The wind through his hair carried the familiar scent of salt, and it blew away the remaining traces of that foul damp smell.

Niddler was at his side at the wheel. He kept his face upturned to the sun, his wings spread as if every inch of his body longed for the kiss of light.

“Ioz! Tula! Keep that sail as full as possible, we've got a Treasure to steal back!” Ren ordered.

His shipmates hadn't said a word to him from the moment they had emerged from the cave. Ren saw them now talking to each other. An animated conversation seemed to go on between them, but the wind was blowing too loud for him to hear their words.

For a moment Ioz looked away from Tula, but she crossed her arms and cocked her head, like demanding an answer. Ioz shrugged, and after a brief look at each other, they approached him.

“Ren,” Ioz spoke, fidgeting with his necklace. “Tula and I... Uh...” he went silent.

“We just wanted to thank you,” said Tula. “For what you did for us back there.”

“Ay, you've got the right stuff, lad,” Ioz lightly punched Ren's arm. “You wouldn't know Dame Fortune if she jumped out of a cake, but you're a good man for all that.”

Ren couldn't help but laugh. “I'll take that as a compliment because I'm too tired to fight.”

Ioz opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment he closed it. He nodded and walked away.

“Thank you, Ren,” Tula bowed her head and turned to leave.

Ren reached out for her arm. She turned, a silent question on her face.

“What were you hoping to find among those scrolls?” he asked.

Tula's chest rose high. “Knowledge.”

“Knowledge,” he repeated.

“Forgive me, Ren, for shaming you,” she averted her eyes. “Forgive me if you can.”

He shook his head. “If it's forgiveness you want, you are forgiven. I don't understand why. Why taking those scrolls? It could've cost you your life.”

Tula inhaled sharply. There was no denying the sadness in her eyes. “For some, even that is a small price.”

What was that supposed to mean? He wanted to talk to her, say something, anything. But while he struggled for words Tula turned and walked away.

Ren dropped down onto the bench behind the wheel and for once let the weigh of his quest crush him down.

Niddler was at his side, his green eyes awkwardly studying the deck.

“She's hiding something Niddler. What I don't know.”

Niddler looked at him but for once he had nothing to reply.

Ren sighed. “How am I ever going to gather the Thirteen Treasures of Rule if I can't even unite the four of us?” He stood up and took hold of the wheel.

Ioz had climbed on the yard, and Tula was now tiding some ropes.

“Ioz is just in this for himself, and Tula's keeping secrets,” his throat clenched, his neck felt empty without the Compass. “You and I may have to continue without them.”

“So be it, Ren,” Niddler said. “And don't be so hard on yourself. A few fortnights ago you were just a lighthouse keeper.”

A lighthouse keeper. Up there in his realm of lanterns and cinder-sand. A low-born boy sharing a mundane life with his caretaker.

Jenna, he missed her so much. Ren wondered if she was well. Did she know he was alive or did she believe him dead? He'd never seen her cry and wondered if she had cried when Niddler had come to kidnap him. He wondered what wouldn't he give to see her smiling face again.

“If the wind keeps up like this, we'll catch that cob-keeled son a sea pooch before daybreak, Ren!” Ioz' voice breached his thoughts.

Lighthouse keeper, maybe that was all he should have ever been.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it for Dishonor! The first chapter of Break Up will be up on November 22, and it'll start with a new POV!


	11. Break Up (1 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter as dark as Dark Water, and as sad as slave monkeybirds, I hope you'll still enjoy it! 
> 
> You'll find some of my thoughts about the chapter in a note at the end!

**Ioz**

 

“Starboard deck, Ren! Hard!”

Although Ren didn't waste a heartbeat the Wraith didn't veer fast enough to dodge the big plank coming their way. It crashed into the keel.

“Curse that Konk! He has more fat between his ears than around his waist!” Ioz snarled.

He couldn't help but grin though. The boat was fast but the piglet couldn't sail forever, and Ioz could already taste the upcoming fight. He was perched on the bow, leaning over the bowsprit, his right hand clutching the hilt of his sword. Waiting. The Wraith just had to get close enough, few leagues more and Ioz would be ready to jump aboard and start the dance. Mer would be a better place without Konk, and Ioz could even keep the boat for himself. No Atani would come out there in the sun to claim it back.

Ioz spotted a barrel coming their way. “Hard to starboard!”

Once again the Wraith didn't dodge in time; the barrel crashed against the keel, the impact so strong it almost sent Ioz flying overboard. Almost. He held onto the railing, cursing loudly and swearing those jitatin lug brothers would pay for that. Them and the pig-face they took orders from.

“That Konk!” Ren shouted from the helm. “He'd sink his own ship before giving up the Compass and the First Treasure.”

Ioz wondered what would happen if the Compass fell into the sea and sunk down into the abyss. He was in no hurry to find out.

His hands tingled with the need of swinging the sword and make some sea scum's blood run. Closer, just a little closer, and he would jump. He would hack Konk's ugly head off to check if he had a brain after all.

The men perched on the stern managed to detach a chunk of wood the size of a leviathan. Ren saw it too and steered the Wraith in time to dodge it. Ioz couldn't deny the boy learned fast.

“Well done, Ren!” he shouted over the sound of the roaring winds. “We'll catch those thieves before high sun!”

The monkeybird let out one of his jitatin screech. “Can't we find the other Treasures of Rule and come back for this one?”

Ioz thought about plucking a feather for every time the monkeybird opened that beak to jabber his nonsense. How long would it take before he learned? However, he had to remind himself the young captain would object to that. For some reasons, Ren cared about that monkeybird. And for some obscure reasons Ioz cared about that boy.

“Courage Niddler! That bloated toad can't outwit this crew!”

The enemy's boat veered hard to starboard. Ioz had a moment to wonder what in twenty seas the piglet was up to; then he saw it.

It was a pool of darkness floating on the sea. Boiling, black water; tongues of darkness jutting up like hands. Searching. It was Dark Water, and they were sailing right into it.

And Ioz couldn't move. A voice in his head was yelling at him to get away from the bow and go hide below deck, but his body had frozen on the spot. It just didn't respond.

“Ioz!”

Death. Ioz' heart thumped in his chest, louder than a drum. The blood pulsed in his ears.

“Ioz!”

The patch of darkness screeched. Bile rose in Ioz' throat.

“Ioz!” It was Ren calling his name. “Ioz! More slack to the jib-top! Dark Water off the bow!”

Ioz wanted to shout that he'd seen it too, but he couldn't talk. Luckily for them all, Ren managed to steer right in time to avoid an impact with the Dark Water.

The Wraith heeled at the sudden move, and one of the barrels on the deck rolled across the ship. Ioz watch as it bumped over the rail and fell overboard right on top of the Dark Water. The black tongues engulfed it, devoured it. It took less than the blink of an eye for the barrel to disappear into the black abyss. Kunda knew where.

How would it feel like to be swallowed by Dark Water? How would it feel like to be carried down into the abyss? It didn't matter. Ioz wasn't going to find out today, and hopefully never.

“Ioz snap out of it! Look to the riggings!” Ren shouted.

The Dark Water was now standing behind them. They were safe. Ioz was still shaking but he realized that he could move now. “I've never seen Dark Water this far south,” his voice too was back.

He didn't know whether Ren had ever encountered the black scum before, the lad kept on steering the ship, his face a mask of stone.

The monkeybird instead, was curled on the deck, his arms wrapped around Ren's leg.

Ioz shook his head one more time. They were out of danger. “Must I do everything aboard this ship?” he managed to roar. “Where is the woman?”

Ren looked around. “I haven't seen Tula.”

That was everything Ioz needed to hear. His legs moved on their own and carried him to the door below the quarterdeck. He seized the handle and yanked it open.

His feet thump like a war drum as he headed down to the dining quarters.

“Tula?” he thundered.

No answer.

“Tula?” he was raging. She wasn't there.

“Tula?” her name sounded like a curse on his tongue.

Ioz kicked the door to the galley almost knocking it off its hinges.

She was sitting cross-legged on a barrel, and any smool brain could have guessed she'd been up to something in there. Ioz didn't have time to care about that.

“Can you spare a moment of your time topside?” he snarled.

“Can't handle things yourself, Ioz?”

Ioz felt the urge to punch the wench in the face and maybe knock a few teeth out in the process. And for the second time that day, he had to remind himself that Ren would not be pleased about it. In fact, Ren would utterly be pissed about it.Ioz had noticed the way Ren looked at Tula when she wasn't looking at him.

“We've just barely avoided a patch of Dark Water!”

“Is it fear I hear in your voice?”

Ioz' hand ran for his sword, then he remembered he'd find a blade buried in his groin before he could swing it. Jitatin Andorians liked to end their fights quickly, that much he knew. He could wait for her to fall asleep though, he would wrap his hands around her throat and stare down into her eyes while she tried to struggle free.

Ioz shook his head. That was a gruesome thought, had some Dark Water managed to seep into his brain?

“As much as I'd enjoy watching you sink down into the abyss, we're in the same boat. If you sink I sink, and Ren sinks too.”

“Fair Ioz, I'll do my duty.” Tula hopped down from the barrel and headed above deck.

Ioz followed right behind, watching as her hair swayed like black waves. It was as black as the Dark Water. Ioz rubbed his temples. He needed a good drink and a good old trip to a gamehouse. He wouldn't have declined a good old fight either. Anything to take his thoughts away from the screeching jitatin Dark Water.

Once above deck, Tula climbed up to the yard as quick as a rat.

“There!” Ioz shouted when he spotted a distinct shape on the horizon. “Land dead ahead!” Finally, they'd get the piglet in no time. Ioz suddenly started to feel better.

“Konk sees it too,” Ren answered. “By the depths, where is that dog-faced brute heading?”

The monkeybird's screech stabbed Ioz right through his brain. “It's Pandawa! Turn away, Ren! Turn away!” Niddler seized the wheel in his hairy hands trying to steer the ship off course.

“Niddler?” Ren had the wit of not letting go of the wheel.

“Ren please, turn away!”

“No, we've got them!”

“There are other Treasures! Stop before it's too late!” the monkeybird curled down, its long neck pulled down between his shoulders. He was shaking.

Ren's eyes met Ioz'.

Ioz wondered how did he end up having a monkeybird and woman as shipmates.

The Wraith was not the Maelstrom, Ren was as far from Bloth as the day was from the night, and Ioz knew he could leave them all to their own devices anytime. No need to set the deck on fire to sneak out and live to tell the tale, he could just wish them farewell and go. He had already considered the idea countless times so far. And yet he was still here.

Ioz had tried to convince himself it was the Wraith, he loved that big bird, never in his life had he sailed on such a superb craft. But deep inside Ioz knew the ship was just part of the truth. The truth that lay down, deep underwater: he didn't want to leave the boy.

He knew Ren needed him, and at times, when he was well into his cups, he swore to himself that he would see the quest complete, Mer freed from jitatin Dark Water and the boy on his throne. Ioz' motives were still waters he had yet to sail to, but one thing he knew: he would see Ren on his throne. Be it the last thing he did.

Ren's eyes flicked between Niddler and the land ahead and then slid back on Ioz. The young prince cared too much for his own good; so Ioz took the decision for him.

He seized the watching glass and surveyed the island ahead. “Tula, keep those sails full,” he ordered. “Harbour two points off the starboard bow. We're heading to Pandawa.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Niddler**

 

Niddler recognized Pandawa from several leagues away. The massive mountain still loomed over the whole island, its two pinnacles still rising up towards the sky, higher than any monkeybird would dare to fly.

But the closer they got to Pandawa the less Niddler recognized it as the place that haunted his nightmares. Houses had popped up where once had been minga trees, and an actual harbor had been built. Ships were anchored everywhere, and ships did not belong there. Men's houses didn't belong there. What had become of his homeland? How long had it been since Niddler left?

Except that Niddler hadn't left Pandawa. They had brought him away. They had sold him. Sold to Bloth. How much had Niddler been worth? Had he been a good deal for Jargis?

Niddler was past preventing Ren from following Konk on Pandawa. Konk had the Compass and the Treasure, those things were essential to save Mer. Niddler, on the other hand, was just a monkeybird.

But Ren could not force him to get off the ship. Ren wasn't his master, he'd said that himself, Ren was his friend. No, Niddler would not touch that cursed land ever again. He would hide in the galley and chew on something in the meantime. Except that he didn't feel hungry at all. How could it be? His stomach always seemed to expand when Niddler got nervous or afraid, but the more they got closer to Pandawa the more his stomach seemed to shrink.

Ioz pointed at Konk's half sinking boat. Niddler heard him curse and hiss that Konk and his mates had made a run for it. But Ioz' voice was nothing more than a distant growl. As the foreign air of Pandawa engulfed him, Niddler's ears went deaf and he closed his eyes as his stomach churned. The deck of the Wraith came to meet him, and he felt his body curling up into a ball, his wings enveloping him. It was like being a spectator of his own life; like his mind had escaped to a place far away from there, where his body couldn't follow.

Niddler didn't know how long it was before something touched him. He squawked and wrapped himself tighter.  
“Niddler?” it was Ren. His hand shook him, gently. “Niddler?”

Somehow Niddler found the courage to peek at him from under its wings. Ren was staring down at him, his face puzzled. “Niddler, I don't understand.”

Monkeybird didn't cry in the same way humans did, Ren would never notice. “I would follow you anywhere,” he gulped down. “But I'm not putting a feather on this filthy island. It's where I was born.”

He had been perched on a high branch, still asleep and bathing in the fresh morning breeze when the slavers had come.

“And sold into slavery.”

For a moment Niddler couldn't breathe anymore. Monkeybirds were no fighters, they could not defend themselves and the rest of Mer didn't care about them. They were left on their own and the slavers had taken over.

“And to these jitatin slave traders, my people are nothing but merchandise!”

Ren's mouth fell open. “Niddler,” he stammered.

“Ren, Niddler, we'll gladly leave you behind.” Tula stood there, behind Ren. Niddler didn't know how long she'd been there and how much she'd heard, neither did he care.

Ren sighed. “You won't be safe if I leave you alone.” He surveyed the deck before he reached out to grab a rope. “Tie this to your leg,” he grimaced. “I'll pretend to be your master.”

Niddler eyed the rope. Monkeybirds were tied with ropes like that one. The slavers coiled them around their wings so that they couldn't fly away.

Although in Ren's hands, the limp piece rope looked no more threatening than a berry.

With shaky hands, Niddler took it and secured it around his neck. Ren didn't know, but that was the place where the leash of a master belonged.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ioz' POV was the most difficult to write so far. Hopefully, I managed to get him right! Comments are welcome!
> 
> I'd also like to share some of my feelings about this chapter with you guys!
> 
> A little premise first: I try my best to keep on top of my writing, cause it takes me ages to edit (no joking! For me, writing the first draft is easy; editing, on the other hand, is a long and stressful process). I finished writing Panacea yesterday and I'll outline King Niddler today.
> 
> Since I am so far in the story, while I was rereading this chapter today, it kinda hurt me to see that at this specific point in the story, Ioz, Tula, and Niddler are still rather hateful to each other. As we all know, things will change eventually, and I can't wait to post those chapters where these three are actually having some fun together!
> 
> Also, Break Up is a heartbreaking episode in general, and I can't wait to be done with it for good XD
> 
> The next chapter will be up on November 29.


	12. Break Up (2 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not feeling very proud of this chapter. I will still do some edits later in the week, but for the moment being I hope you'll still enjoy it!
> 
> WARNING: this chapter contains some violence and blood, and Niddler is going through some serious trauma.

**Niddler**

 

They had to make way through a crowded marketplace and the cobbled streets felt like a foreign land under his feet. There were just too many buildings around him and way too many humans. Niddler had a hard time breathing as he watched them walking around the streets, their fine silks floating in the wind. They carried themselves as if they'd always belonged there.

No, Pandawa was not the same anymore. Too many things had changed. Although, there was one thing Niddler recognized: the slaves, held on a leash no different from the one he was wearing. Their masters paraded them around like one may show off a new piece of jewelry. Their eyes were empty, soulless.

“That arrow was a good hit, Ren. Look!” Tula pointed at some red stains on the ground. They formed a path that led from the market to another group of buildings Niddler didn't recognize.

Ren sprung into a run forgetting he was still holding Niddler on a leash. He let out a strangled squawk, and Ren stopped dead in his track. He turned, a horrified expression on his face, “I'm sorry, Niddler!”

“It's nothing, Ren.” It was not a lie, the pain from the tug was nothing compared to the hell he felt inside his chest. Niddler rubbed at his neck and soared up into the air.

The blood stains led them into a square. Some merchants were selling food and ale from their stands. Pandawa had never smelled of roasted chicken, but now it did. Niddler's stomach lurched horrendously.

“Ren,” it was hard to talk. “I'm going to start screaming and I won't be able to stop.”

“Calm Niddler, I won't let any of them touch you.” Ren meant good, but he didn't understand.

A crowd had gathered around a dais, most of the people were clad in fine silks, but some of them were covered in hooded dark capes.

There were a dozen cages piled up on top of the dais, the monkeybirds inhabiting them were wrapped inside their wings. Niddler couldn't breathe. He had been on that dais once, locked in a cage, waiting to be sold.

“We must leave this place, please!” he begged.

“There's more to this than you're telling me,” said Ren.

Niddler gulped down. If Ren was to protect him he had to know the whole truth. “One called Jargis divided my family and sold me to Bloth. He-” something slammed over his wing and then clutched it tight. Niddler screeched and almost fainted at the feeling of nails digging into the delicate flesh. Fainting would have been a mercy but Niddler was still conscious when the man behind him spoke.

“Six poogats for your slave, two-legs.”

He looked like a big human slug, with a mouth as large as the two moons put together. His body was a shapeless lump of fat covered in a sickening yellow skin.

“He's lean in the wings, but I can fatten him up,” the slave trader's teeth were sharp.

“He's not for sale,” Ren seized his wrist and twisted it until he let go of Niddler's wing.

“Noy jitat!” the slave trader cursed. For a moment he studied Ren as if considering whether it was wise for him to pick up a fight; then he spun away and dragged his heavy body on top of the dais where the slaves were displayed and sold.

He called for the attention of the crowd and made a big show of welcoming them at the auction. Niddler saw some of the spectators unbuckling the pouches from their belts.

The human slug ordered to one of the two guards posted on the dais to open a cage. That was the moment a battle cry rained from the sky. It started out with a yell, which was soon followed by another, and another. Niddler lifted his head in the sky, and could not believe his eyes.

“Jatva!” the human slug cursed. “Not again! Rebels!”

At least twenty monkeybirds were coming down on the dais, they were holding slingshots and canes.

The first projectile crashed upon the dais missing the human slug, the second projectile hit closer to the target but still left him unscathed.

“I'm ready for you this time! Attack!” the slave trader ordered.

The men wearing the dark capes drop them and Niddler started to shake. They were soldiers clad in an armor of boiled leather, swords in their hands.

The monkeybirds didn't flinch. They lunged at the soldiers.

“Freedom!” screamed one of the rebels, slashing at one of the men with a cane. The soldier parried the hit with his sword but was not fast enough to dodge the attack from a second monkeybird from behind. The cane crashed over the soldier's head and he dropped down to the ground.

There was a voice screaming in Niddler's head not to watch, but he could not take his eyes away. When had monkeybirds learned how to fight?

A projectile from a slingshot hit another guard in the leg, Niddler watched as a crimson stain spread, soaking the guard's pants. The man would live, but he would also suffer.

“Freedom!” yelled another monkeybird. He was white as a cloud, except for some blue feathers dotting his wings. He held a slingshot in his hands and had projectile at the ready. He made the mistake of flying too low, too close to the soldiers, and before he could shoot, the slash of a sword caught him in his throat. His white feathers had already turned red by the time he hit the ground.

Niddler's scream went unheard in the din of the fight.

Some of the rebels had managed to get on the dais, they had hammers they were using to smash the locks. Some of the prisoners were already flying free.

The slave trader saw them. “Thieves! Criminals! This is Jargis' private property!” He stuck a hand under his sleeve producing a dagger. Niddler felt awfully helpless as the slave trader hauled himself towards the rebels, still smashing at the locks.

That was the moment Ren sprung into action. He launched himself at the dais, grabbed one of the planks and lifted it right before the slave trader stepped on it. He stumbled and fell down, giving the rebels enough time to free three more monkeybirds and flee.

“In the name of our queen, freedom!” one of the rebels cried out from the sky.

“Long live our queen!” yelled another.

“You want your queen, do you?” the slave trader shouted. “That's been arranged. Bring her!”

Two more guards stepped on the dais, carrying a cage. The soft shade of violet of the monkeybird's feathers looked awfully familiar. How did they find her? Hadn't she left Pandawa?

“Water, please!” the Queen Mother pleaded. Even from the distance, Niddler could see she was terribly famished. “Water!”

Niddler's heart shattered into pieces and his legs failed him. He dropped down on the ground, shaking. The rebels too had stopped, they stood there now, flapping their wings in the air, their faces twisted in horror.

“Now do I have your attention?” the slave trader asked. “The only subjects she'll ever rule again are the mold mites in her dungeon cell!”

The guards let the cage fall on the dais. The Queen Mother grimaced.

“Please don't hurt her,” Niddler moaned, but that moment he knew the slave trader had won. The monkeybirds were not flying back without their queen. Their mother.

“If you surrender. Cause if you don't,” the slave trader got hold of his dagger once again. “Then I'll-” he stopped mid-sentence before he let out a startled cry. Niddler almost screamed too.

At some point during the commotion, Ren had jumped on the dais and he now kneeled down in front of the cage. His hands were cupped, and full of water, the queen was drinking from them.

“Out of the way, two-legs!” the slave trader ordered, but Ren paid him no mind.

The human slug reached for the whip hanging from his belt and lashed at Ren. He caught him on his arm and Ren cried out. Niddler grimaced when he saw the red mark the whip had left there.

“Stand away, I said! She is not for sale!”

In response, Ren unsheathed his sword. Never had Niddler seen such fury in his eyes.

The slave trader gasped.

“Fool!” somebody shouted from the crowd.

“Monkeybird lover!” another voice joined.

The guards were approaching him from every corner now, Ren could not fight them all.

“End him!”

“Ren! There you are!” another voice thundered on top of the others.

Niddler saw Ioz shoving people out of the way, a smile was on his face. “I told you, young mate, no more ale! Why is it cabin boys can never stay out of taverns?” he laughed.

Once he was close enough, Ioz reached for Ren's ankle and tugged. “Come away, child! Time to get you back to the boat!”

Ren's lips quivered but he lowered his head and followed Ioz. Niddler crawled behind them.

“We've lost valuable time, Ren!” Ioz snarled once they were out of earshot. “While you were taking in the local color I sent Tula to scout ahead.”

“Sorry, Ioz. I guess I acted without thinking,” Ren kept his head low.

“No harm done,” said Ioz. “Come, we have a Compass and a Treasure we need to steal back!”

“Forgive me, Ren,” Niddler couldn't bring himself to look at him in the eyes. “You risked everything and I did nothing.”

“There's nothing to forgive. It was my time to act, not yours,” Ren placed one hand on his wing in a comforting gesture.

“Here! Ren, Niddler!” Tula shouted from a crossroad. “The fat little piglet can run!” she said, pointing to the street on her right. Niddler could see them now, three figures running.

“But he can't hide!” said Ioz, before he plunged into the chase.

To their credit, despite the fatigue, the pirates ran far and fast. But it was not long before they ended up in a blind alley. Once they realized there was no escape, they unsheathed their weapons.

Niddler was no skilled fighter, but he could see the pirates had little hope of winning. It was three of them, Konk and the two bulky pirates. The Lug brothers, they used to call them on the Maelstrom. Good fighters, but one of them had been injured by Ren in the Atani's cave. The pirate leaned against the wall, panting, his face grey as ashes and covered in sweat. In that state, he was as threatening as a candy clam.

“So it ends, Konk,” said Ren. “Cornered in an alley, Bloth not here to protect you, and you have something of mine.” Ren extended his hand. “My Compass and Treasure, please?”

Niddler wondered how could Ren be so polite all the time.

Too late Niddler noticed the door standing at their right; fast as a lightning bolt, the peg-leg sprung towards it. The brothers followed suit and before Niddler's shipmates could strike the pirates were gone. The door now locked behind them.

Ren approached it and knocked. “Yoohoo, Konk?”

Ioz stepped forward, his sword in hand. “Let me try my hand, Ren-”

“Save your steel, Ioz.” Tula jumped and kicked the door right off its hinges. Niddler gaped at her, he had never imagined Tula could be so strong.

The room was dark, the only light coming from a dozen small candles. Konk and the brothers were standing there, next to a man.

Niddler's blood froze in his veins.

Jargis had replaced the fancy silks he used to wear for a sober white tunic, and he'd go fat. So fat. But his face hadn't changed. The high forehead, hooked nose and drooping lips that haunted Niddler's nightmares were suddenly there in front of him. And there was not waking up from the nightmare now. He screeched.

“Jargis,” said Konk. “Me have trouble with this boy. You mind?”

“For you Konk, of course not.” The slave trader's voice hadn't changed either. It was the same low, slow, monotonous sound.

Jargis clapped his hands and six black figures emerged from the darkness of the room. They all at swords at the ready and there was too many of them for his crewmates to fight.

So they backed off and ran as fast as they could. They were still running when a group of people appeared in front of them, cutting their way out.

“Oh, in trouble again!” said the human slug. The henchmen that had fought against the rebel monkeybirds stood behind him. Ioz had not fooled them after all.

“Where are the Securitat when you need them?” the slave trader was amused.

“That's what we need!” Ren panted. “The Securitat!”

“Ren!” Niddler screeched. “That is the Securitat!” he pointed at Jargis' men gaining ground behind them. “Jargis runs this island! I told you Pandawa was cursed!”

“Well, Ren?” urged Ioz.

“What next?” Tula sounded strangely calm.

“Noy jitat!” cursed Ren. “Put away your weapons, this is one fight we can't possibly win!” he surveyed the street around. “This way!”

Ren jumped high up, grabbing a torch holder protruding from a wall and lifted himself up. After that he started to climb, as fast as a spider, grasping at the uneven stones, until he was safe on top of the building.

Ioz and Tula hurried to do the same, and Niddler too didn't need any further encouragement to fly away from the ground.

He saw Tula's foot slip on the stone but before she could tumble down Ren promptly grabbed her and helped her up.

Ioz was too slow. Niddler grabbed the pirate from his shoulder and flew him up. He was the heaviest weight Niddler had ever carried.

Ren and Tula had grabbed a cauldron they'd found there on top of the roof and dropped it down at the men trying to pursue them.

Niddler hurried to do the same. He found a metal ladle and flung it down. It crashed upon one soldier's head, and Niddler's entire body suddenly shook with laughter. “And that's just the beginning, you mullets!” he heard himself say. “And if you want more, we'd be happy to-”

Ren's hands were on its wings yanking him away from the edge of the roof. “This isn't the time, Niddler, not now!”

They ran to the harbor, desperate to get back to the Wraith.

“We'll return to the sea, anchor on the leeward side of the island,” Ren said, panting. “And steal back into town.”

That was when Ioz stopped and gasped.

And then the rest of the crew saw it. Or didn't see it, Niddler thought grimly. The Wraith was gone.

“The Wraith!” Tula hollered.

“Some thief's stolen her!” Ioz clenched his hands into fists.

“Takes one to know one, uh, Ioz?” was everything Ren said.

Ioz raised his fists but before he could say anything a voice came from the sky.

“Friends! We bring you freedom!”

It was a monkeybird, as yellow as the sun. He seized Ren and flew him away from the dock. Two more monkeybirds followed him grabbing Ioz and Tula.

Niddler turned and glared at Pandawa and then finally he flew away.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of Break Up will be up on December 6.


	13. Break Up (3 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three different POVs for this chapter and, as ever, more of my thoughts at the end!
> 
> WARNING: this chapter contains a lot of fighting and violence.

**Ren**

 

The monkeybird who carried Ren away from the harbor told him his name was Yellow-Wing, and Ren did not have a hard time guessing where he'd got the name from. Yellow-Wing swore over and over again that Ren had his deepest gratitude and that they were taking him and his crew to a safe place.

The monkeybird told the truth.

The rebels' quarters were located deep into the forest on one of the small islets surrounding Pandawa. The trees in there were the highest Ren had ever seen, and massive like towers. The monkeybirds had built their huts on top of the thick branches and covered them in leaves to conceal them among the lush foliage. As the monkeybirds carried him and the crew to the headquarters Ren noticed fragile looking bridges linking the huts from branch to branch and tree to tree. He had no wish of crossing them.

The monkeybirds placed him and his crew down on top of the porch, Ren refused to look down and refused to wonder what would happen if the branches gave up under their weight.

Yellow-Wing pushed the squeaky door to let them in.

The monkeybirds were everywhere, filling the room with thousand shades of red, yellow, green and blue. Ren could not blame the dread he saw on their faces.

"Yellow-Wing," he said. "You and your people have our deepest gratitude."

Yellow-Wing smiled.

"Of course you realize we have urgent business waiting for us down on the ground" Ioz added brusquely.

"We have urgent business as well!" declared a voice. They all turned in time to see a monkeybird flying down from a beam in the ceiling, his plumage as blue as the night sky. "I am Chieftain," he said once he landed on the floor in front of them. "Leader of all Pandawa rebels!"

Ren opened his mouth to say something, but Ioz cut in. "Where is our ship?"

"Your ship is in a hidden cove."

"Why did you take it?" there was nothing remotely friendly about the way Tula spoke.

"My turn to ask questions," said Chieftain as dryly. "Now, who is this outsider who has earned the respect of my people and the wrath of Jargis?"

Ren drew in a deep breath, this part was never easy. "Ren. Son of Primus, prince of Octopon." He waited for Chieftain to laugh in his face. He didn't.

"Octopon!" the monkeybird closed his eyes. "Then you rule a land as ravaged as my own. What brings you to our sad little island?" Chieftain asked.

"A father's request to his son, to seek the Thirteen Treasures of Rule."

"Then one of true nobility such as yourself will not reject my request." Chieftain's place a hairy hand on Ren's arm. "Help us reclaim our home!"

Ioz snorted.

The rebels' leader paid him no mind and pulled Ren closer to a map pinned to the wall with knives. It was a yellowed canvas where the shape of an island had been sketched together with its mountains and streets. There were words written in such a sloppy handwriting Ren a had time reading them; but there was one word written in firm, defined lines that caught his attention: Jargis.

"Tonight we attack the house of Jargis, to free our queen," Chieftain tapped a finger on the drawing of Jargis' house. "Then our legions will push the jitatin slave traders into the sea."

"And you need us as a distraction!" Ren could see the plan now.

"Exactly! Drawing the guards away."

"Leaving the house undefended here," Ren pointed at a red cross on the map. "For your attack!"

The plan could work, they could free the island from the slave traders once for all. Ren could already taste the victory.

"You will..." Chieftain hesitated, "Join us, then?"

Ren had opened his mouth to swear to Chieftain and his people he would fight at their side, but he was yanked away. When he turned Ioz face was looming over him. "Can we have a moment alone with... His... Royalness?" he grunted.

Tula seized his other arm and pulled him. Ren had no choice but to follow his crewmates to a corner of the headquarters.

"Ren," Ioz' did his best not to raise his voice, but Ren could hear the rage boiling in it. "We have no time for this particular charity!"

"Listen to Ioz!" urged Tula, her grip on his arm grew harder. "If Konk leaves port, we'll lose track of the Compass  _and_  the Treasure!"

"Ren," said Ioz. "What would your father think?"

Ren hadn't had the chance to get to know his father, but everyone seemed to agree on one thing: Primus was a just and honorable man. "That I should stay and help those in need."

Ioz rolled his eyes, the gesture ignited a flame of rage inside Ren's chest. "You are with me, aren't you?" he asked.

His crewmates didn't answer and the rage soon turned into cold dread. Ren looked at Tula. He couldn't read what he saw on her face. He gulped the fear down and went on. "We stay together as a group now, or we end it." He had said it out loud, there was not taking it back. Ren raised one hand in front of his crew, he fought to keep it from shaking. "Choose!"

His eyes flickered from Ioz to Tula. Nothing happened.

Ren started when something landed on top of his hand.

"Well, I'm staying!" said Niddler.

His action seemed to break the ice that had grown around them.

"My choice is to stay alive!" was everything Ioz said, unaware that every word sent a dagger stabbing at Ren's chest. "Come, Tula!" Ioz then ordered.

Tula's hand was still clawed around Ren's arm. For a heartbeat, Ren hoped she would stay, but then Ioz pulled her away and she let go of him without much of a fight.

"I will show you where your ship is hidden," Yellow-Wing intervened.

Ren stared helplessly as his crewmates walked away from him, and at every step they took away from him the dagger stabbed him, over and over again.

 _Stop_ , he wanted to shout.  _Where are you going, stop!_ Ren bit down on his bottom lip. He wouldn't beg them to stay.

Ioz didn't turn back once; Tula stopped. She gave him what he thought could be a wistful look, and for the second time, Ren deceived himself with the hope she would choose to stay. But Tula lifted a hand in the air, saluting him, and then she was gone.

And Ren stood there, unable to speak, unable to move. A silent word on his lips, an unspoken plea;  _stop_.

"We must hurry!" he felt Chieftain's presence at his side, but his voice was like an echo coming from afar. "Our attack begins before darkfall!"

"Darkfall..." Ren repeated.

Ioz was gone. Tula was gone.

The dagger twisted one last time in his chest.

"Yes, Chieftain, I am yours."

 

* * *

 

**Konk**

 

Jargis' food was good. Better than the food on the Maelstrom. The food on the Maelstrom was cold and hard to chew. Konk needed ale to wash it down. Jargis' food was tender, spicy and fat. Jargis didn't drink ale, Jargis filled his big belly with real wine. Konk ate like a king.

The Lug Brothers sat at the table, drinking Jargis' real wine and stuffing their plates with Jargis' greasy food.

Jargis' healer had stitched the bald brother's wound, from Ren's arrow. That Ren. Konk will gut him one day. Gut him like a fish.

Jargis had a beautiful house, like a king's palace but smaller. Still big though. He had many chambers and paintings on the walls. Paintings of ships and food. In every room, there was a tray full of fruit and a jar of wine.

Jargis had real beds, with real feather mattresses. Konk thought the bed sheets were of true silk, but he wasn't really sure.

Two monkeybirds served them food and filled their cups while they sat at the table. Jargis' personal monkeybirds were very strange, they didn't have wings.

One of the brothers noticed that too and asked Jargis where the wings had gone.

"Fugitives," Jargis answered.

Konk smirked. "The slave trade's been good to you, Jargis!" Konk patted the man on his fat belly. "You and your belly"

"To what... Do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Konk?" Jargis forehead was as large as the Maelstrom, his lips almost as fat as Bloth's. Konk chuckled and spat some wine out. "I haven't angered Bloth, have I?" the slave trader asked.

"No." Konk wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the wine left a red stain in there. "Nothing of the kind."

"Then you truly are welcome!"

"I need you to get rid of jitatin boy and his friends."

"Konk," Jargis placed his hands on his fat belly. "My hands are full. What with these rebel slaves and their uprisings."

Konk forked a big juicy prawn and stuffed it whole in his mouth. "I tell Bloth you said no."

Jargis' eyes popped wide open with fear. "But then, on the other hand, any service I can be to you and your..." Jargis looked at the brothers. "Men."

"Why you not wipe rebels out for good?" Konk asked. Jargis was stupid not to think about that. How had Jargis got so rich and fat and Konk was still poor?

"Oh! I will!" Jargis smiled. "Now that I know where their stronghold is located. Fear not, my friend, by sunrise there won't be a rebel left on Pandawa."

 

* * *

 

**Ioz**

 

They followed the yellow monkeybird leading the way through a maze of cramped tunnels and swinging bridges that could have used some new ropes.

Monkeybirds weren't able to build proper bridges, and they thought they could overturn the slave traders with their pathetic army of rebels. Jitatin mutant birds wielding canes and slingshots. How did they manage to talk Ren into that suicidal attempt?

That was the last drop for Ioz. He would jump back on the Wraith and steer away from Pandawa, the monkeybirds, the jitatin slave traders, and Ren.

"In all my travels, I have never met such a young fool!" Ioz spat. Gentle, honorable, noble; the boy was everything Ioz never was and would never be. "The worst of it is, I was beginning to like him!" that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Ioz had vowed to see the boy on his throne. A pirate's vow. A lie. Ren never knew about his secret drunken vow, so it did not really matter anymore.

"And I envy how clearly he sees his destiny." Tula's eyes were focused on the ground, her arms crossed.

Ioz had been ready to leave Ren and Pandawa behind when a shocking realization had dawned on him. He could not man the Wraith alone and Pandawa didn't look like the right place to look for shipmates. Ioz needed Tula. And as much as he hated to admit it, she was a good seafarer, better than Ren for sure. "He will learn the hard way that-"

"Forgive my interruption," the yellow monkeybird cut in and pointed at an opening in the tunnel. "Your boat is at the end of this slide."

Ioz opened his mouth to reply when screams burst in the distance. He stopped and listened more carefully. Mingling with the screams and shouts something else was clashing and clinging. Ioz knew that sound: swords. "Fighting," he said. "An attack!" His blood froze when he realized where the commotion came from.

"Ren and Niddler!" Tula launched herself back into the tunnel from where they came, sword already in hand.

Ioz didn't need any further encouragement, he unsheathed his sword and ran like a madman. He dashed back through the tunnels, back across the swinging bridges; he stumbled, fell down and was fast back on his feet.

In his head a single thought: Ren. That foolish boy; that noble, good-hearted foolish boy.

The clashing and the screams got louder and louder the closer Ioz got to the headquarters. He couldn't see Tula anymore, she had long outrun him. He hoped she might get there in time to save Ren.

They should have never left Ren behind. That foolish boy couldn't fight whatever had attacked them alone. By the two moons, Ioz should have stayed by his side. He should have thrown Ren over his shoulder and carried him away from the jitatin monkeybirds and their rebellion.

Ioz gathered all his strength and tried to run faster. After turning one last curve he was back again in the headquarters.

The room was now a commotion of swords and feathers; and over the sound of screams and screeches, Ioz recognized the sharp, metallic reek of blood.

The men armed with swords wore the dark uniforms of the Securitat; in other words, they were Jargis' soldiers.

He gaped around. One moment he saw Tula dig a blade into a soldier's neck and the next Ioz had plunged into the fight. He parried a strike from a soldier and was quick enough to get his dagger and bury it in the man's guts. One time, two times, three.

One was gone, but there were so many. Too many.

Ioz advanced slowly into the room, swinging his sword, parrying, punching, digging his dagger. Killing and wounding. Something sliced at his arm but he felt no pain.

Then he stumbled on something. A dead monkeybird, he realized as he fell on the ground.

Ioz rose to his knees fast enough to parry a sword coming down for his head. The soldier pressed the blade down with the wildness of a man who knows it's either kill or be killed. Ioz had been there more than once and lived to tell the tale. It didn't take him long to realize the man was not as strong as him, but the floor was soaked in blood and Ioz' foot started to slip.

Then the soldier was on the ground, blood spattering from his neck. Tula stood there, panting, her face sprayed with blood. He saw her eyes flickering around the room until they stopped and went round. "No!" she bellowed.

Ioz managed to stand up and catch her in time. When he turned to check where she was heading for and saw it too, his heart shattered in his chest.

Ren 's body lay on the floor. Unmoving.

"It's too late," he tried to yank Tula away, but she struggled wildly into his grip. Ioz shook her. "It's too late, we need to get out of here!"

He saw her looking at something behind his back. Tula pushed him out of the way and charged at the soldier who had raised his sword above his head. She parried the strike and a second later her second knife was sticking out of the man's eye socket. She yanked the blade out and threw it across the room where it buried into another soldier's neck.

Ioz lunged forward and seized her. "We need to get out of here, now!"

"But Ren-"

"It's too late!" He pulled her and this time she didn't struggle. And they ran through the cramped tunnels again as the steps of their pursuers echoed in the back.

More than once Ioz had to urge Tula to not stop to fight and to keep on running. He longed to kill them, all of them, but they were too many.

Ioz stumbled and fell down again, Tula pulled him up. "I'm faster than you. Run, get past the bridge and wait for me."

"What in the twenty-"

"Just do as I say."

Tula didn't give him time to protest. She just turned her back to him and paced back towards the soldiers.

The woman was crazy, but Ioz was tired of risking his own life to try and knock some sense into her thick head. So he ran to the bridge while screams echoed at his back. Men's.

Stumbling and hauling himself back on his feet several more times Ioz made it out of the tunnel and reached the bridge. He grabbed the ropes used as rails and set the first foot onto the beams. He forced himself not to look down. The bridge swung menacingly but step after step, curse after curse, he was soon on the other side. Safe.

Ioz turned and waited for Tula, wondering how long he should stay there before starting to run for his life again.

Then Tula appeared from the tunnel and fast as a lightning bolt jumped on the bridge. It swayed so hard it almost knocked her down. She clung to the railing.

"There she is!" somebody yelled and Ioz saw the soldiers emerge from the tunnel.

Tula plodded slowly across the bridge. The soldiers would get to her in no time.

Ioz gaped around in search of a way to help her but for the life of him he couldn't come up with anything. So he just watched as the men jumped on the bridge pursuing her.

"Faster Tula!" he heard himself scream.

"Cut the bridge!" she yelled.

He shook his head.

"Cut it!"

Ioz didn't have time to think. He seized his sword and slashed at the ropes. He saw the bridge collapse, Tula jump, and the soldiers go down.

The screams echoed through the air and then they were followed by a loud splash. Ioz took a breath and looked down. Somehow Tula had managed to grab a long branch that had sustained her weight. The soldiers had been lucky enough to fall into a river deep enough to soften the impact. They were all still alive and swimming on the surface when something approached them. Ioz' blood froze.

"Dark Water!" one of them screamed as they attempted to swim away, not fast enough. Tongues of blackness jutted up from the dark patch, seizing the screaming soldiers one by one. The unfortunate men were dragged into the core of the Dark Water and it closed around them, devouring them. After that, the black water sunk back down with a last terrifying screech.

Ioz took a deep breath and looked down again. Tula was climbing back up. He held out his hand to her and helped her up.

"Dark Water," she spat. "Again."

"And curse my eyes if there isn't more of it afloat than ever before!"

She looked back at the tunnel from where they had come.

"Let's get away from this jitatin island."

They reached the opening in the tunnel that the monkeybird had shown them. They slid through it and found themselves on top of the Wraith's deck.

"Man the sails, I'll weigh anchor and take the wheel," he said.

Her hand was on his forearm. "Ioz," she lowered her eyes. "If we hadn't left him... If we only hadn't."

"No, Tula, you said it yourself. Ren's destiny was clear to him. Too clear."

Foolish boy. To help a bunch of helpless monkeybirds he had jeopardized his whole quest. "We'll catch Konk. We'll get everything he's stolen back," he said.

Tula turned her back to him. "Don't sound so confident, Ioz."

"It's not confidence," he clenched his fists. "But an oath to Ren. Until we have the Compass and the Treasure, we'll make Konk's life an endless nightmare."

Pirate or not, this time Ioz had pronounced the vow out loud, and he wouldn't go back on his promise. He would get the Compass back and carry on Ren's quest.

Tula turned back to face him, her green eyes met his. Ioz could not read what he saw was on her face, he could just wait for her to speak her mind. If she wasn't up to finding the Treasures anymore he would drop her at a port of her choice and carry on alone.

She inched forward and took his hand in hers. "To Ren," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rereading this chapter always makes me sad :(
> 
> On a funnier note, some characters speak louder than others, and surprisingly Konk was the loudest so far! When I sat down to write his POV I could hear his voice in my head telling me exactly what to write. Should I be worried? Anyway, it was extremely funny :)
> 
> The last chapter of Break Up will be up on December 13.


	14. Break Up (4 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: I changed something from the show. I'll explain why in a note at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Second: there will be a small change in my updating schedule, you'll find more info about it at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Third: Ren is feeling quite miserable in this chapter, but things will soon change! ;)

**Niddler**

 

 _Jargis' soldiers, they're in the trees!_ Somebody had screamed. And before anybody could prepare for battle, the soldiers had burst into the headquarters. Sword unsheathed, slashing and killing.

The rebels had fought back as best as they could, but they weren't ready, and Jargis' soldiers were too many.

Niddler saw monkeybirds go down, he heard shrieks of pain and fear. He was no fighter, the only thing Niddler could do was to curl himself on the ground waiting for somebody to kill him.

Niddler had braved to look around once, but at the sight of the blood splattered on the walls, he had hidden his head back between his wings.

After what had felt like years the fight had died down, but still, Niddler had kept curled on the floor, trembling and waiting for a sword to finish him. Then somebody had seized him by the wings and lifted him up. Niddler hadn't dared to fight back, he had gone limp and allowed the soldiers to yank him around together with the other survivors.

Niddler had been quiet until he had seen Ren. He had screeched then, not able to stop. How could have he forgotten about Ren?

Ren lay on the floor. There was no visible wound but he wasn't moving and Niddler had shrieked until a hand gently squeezed his shoulder, Chieftain's hand. He was bleeding from a gash on his head. “A poisoned dart. It caught him in the shoulder. Jargis would never kill the son of Primus.”

Niddler almost fainted for the relief.

The rebels were marched toward the city in a walk of shame. They were wounded and beaten. The soldiers didn't bother to chain them, their order was very clear: “Try to fly away and we will shoot you down. We'll strike well, you will be alive when Jargis will cut your wings.”

Not even Chieftain dared to rebel this time.

Ren had been lifted onto a stretcher and was now carried by monkeybirds. He was still unconscious.

Niddler couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. Ren had risked everything for the monkeybirds of Pandawa, he had endangered his own quest to help them regain their freedom, and now he was the main entertainment for the crowd in their walk of shame.

People, as well as slave monkeybirds, had gathered on the streets to take a look at the march of the rebels, Niddler could see them with the corner of his eye. He couldn't bring himself to lift his head and face the truth. They had lost. They would be punished for rebelling against the slave traders, and maybe after all Jargis would cut their wings whether they tried to escape or not. Niddler would soon die than let him do it.

The guards marched them to the square where Jargis' palace faced. It was not until they stopped right in front of the slave trader's balcony that Niddler lifted his head.

Jargis was there, Konk was at his side as well as Yellow-Wing. Niddler's heart sunk deeper.

“Citizens of Pandawa,” Jargis announced to the crow. “Today is a great day for our island. The rebels have been defeated.”

The humans in the crowd cheered at that.

“Of course, military strategy is nothing more than being able to read the enemy's mind,” Jargis went on. “These rebels would still be free if it were not for the precious help of my new second in command.” Jargis placed one of his arms around Yellow-Wing.

Monkeybirds new better than to cry out against him in the presence of Jargis, and yet a chorus of whispers filled the air in the square.

“Quiet!” some man shouted.

And Niddler didn't know what got over him, but before he realized what he was doing he had jumped on a barrel and he was shouting. “Traitor!” he turned to address rebels and slaves alike. “We are lost forever when one of our own betrays us.” He then pointed at Ren. “And when only an outsider has the courage to lift his hand to help us!”

When Ren had challenged the slug slaver in the square he had told NIddler that he did it cause it was his time to act. It was now Niddler's time to act. He did not want to die, he was scared but somehow he couldn't stop the words pouring out of his beak. “We must act, but only at the right time, and the time is-”

The sword slammed right into his chest knocking him to the ground. His right wing bent at an unnatural angle and for a heartbeat, Niddler wondered why the pain in the wing was sharper than the pain in his chest. Although, when he braved a look to the spot where the sword had lashed, he found no traces of blood, no wound of any kind. The soldier had struck him with the flat of the weapon.

Meanwhile, a commotion had burst in the square.

“But kind sir, why did you strike him?” he heard a somebody squawk.

“He was just saying,” joined another voice. “That the time is now!”

And what sounded like hundred squawks filled the air in the square. Niddler saw Chieftain taking advantage of a puzzled soldier to yank his wrist and seize his sword. He lashed at the man before he could react.

“Now!” Chieftain bellowed, wielding the bloody sword in the air.

“For freedom!”

“For our queen!”

Soon the hundreds squawk turned into thousand, and hell broke loose on Pandawa.

Niddler clutched a spear one of the soldiers had dropped on the ground. _For Ren_ , he thought before plunging into the fight.

 

* * *

 

 

**Ren**

 

The breeze carried the smell of salt and the sound of the crashing waves. On top of that, Ren heard wings flapping around, in the air. Each flap sent a sharp, unforgiving jolt of pain in his skull. He took a deep breath and tried to force his eyelids to open. It was a mistake. The light scorched his eyes causing a new burst of pain in his head.

Ren moaned; his mouth was completely dry.

A hand stroke his shoulder and somebody sighed at his side. Ren gritted his teeth and opened his eyes, doing his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his skull.

Niddler was there, curled up at his side. “Ren!” he screeched.

Ren tried to tell him to be quiet, but he didn't get that far. He collapsed on the side of the bunk he was laying on and hurled his gut out.

Niddler squawked but didn't say anything as Ren spat out the disgusting bile. He had no idea of where he was.

“What happened?” he managed to ask once he had stopped retching.

“Oh, not much,” Niddler sounded amused. “We just took our island back from Jargis and the slave traders!”

A hairy hand holding a cup of water appeared in front of his face. It belonged to another monkeybird, he was as green as an emerald.

Ren vomited again. The pain was everywhere and he feared he might faint. Once he was done throwing up, he took the cup of water a gulped it down.

“What-”

“We did it, Ren!” Niddler cut him off. “We are free, can you believe it?”

“But what...” he tried to remembered what had happened. They were attacked, he remembered he was fighting and then it was just darkness. “I promised... I was not there... I...”

“Even though you were sleeping, you were with us, prince Ren!” said a calm, friendly voice.

Lifting his head hurt, but Ren clenched his teeth and did it anyway.

It was the queen of the monkeybirds who had spoken and for the first time, Ren noticed how majestic she truly was. She was taller than the other monkeybirds, her beautiful wings much wider. Her plumage, of a soothing shade of violet, looked soft as silk, and white feathers encircled her head like a crown. Her eyes were an intense shade of blue.

“Your Majesty,” Ren mumbled. He wasn't in a state fit to encounter a queen.

“We have so much to thank you for, son of Primus, prince of Octopon!” her voice was gentle and warm as the smile that brightened her face. Something about her reminded him of Jenna and Ren's throat clenched painfully. He missed Jenna.

“Breaker of friendships. And now, I guess, loser of Treasures.” That was what Ren truly was. Nothing more.

“You're awake prince Ren!” Chieftain burst into the room, his eyes alight with excitement. “No longer to be bought and sold, we are, once again, our own people. I'll never thank you enough.”

“I didn't do anything,” Ren mumbled, but Chieftain didn't pay him any mind. “Your majesty!” the monkeybird addressed his queen. “After all these years, it was still where we buried it.”

Just then Ren realized Chieftain carried something wrapped in a worn out cloth in his blue arms.

“We knew Jargis would never look for this beneath his own house.” He placed the objectinto the queen's hands.

She smiled before unpacking it. The cloth fell to the floor, in her hands now was a crown. The structure was no more than a bunch of entwined branches, and it wouldn't have been worth much if not for the splendid blue gem shining on the front.

The queen donned her crown. “Prince Ren, now that you've helped us, how may we help you?” she asked him.

“You already have,” he answered. “Though I may be a failure in my quest for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, I am pleased to have helped you the little I did.”

Jenna would have known what to say to make him feel better.

The queen of the monkeybirds laughed so softly, everything about her was calm and soft. “You are wrong, my boy. You are far from being a failure.” She approached him and Ren felt mortified for the content of his stomach spread on the floor. The queen's hand went to the jewel shining on the top of her crown and unfastened it. She held it out to him.

Ren gasped. “Your Majesty's crown jewel!”

“No,” she smiled. “It is your Second Treasure of Rule!”

His jaw fell open.

“King Primus trusted me with it, I now return it to his righteous owner.”

Ren reached out for the Treasure. It too felt cold, and soothing. He closed his eyes relishing the sensation.

“We will prepare a boat for you to continue your quest, prince Ren,” said the queen. “Now rest, regain your strength, Kunda knows you'll need it.”

Kunda knew he needed a jar of ale big enough to make him forget his crew ever existed.

Ren forced his lips into a smile and thanked the queen.

 

* * *

 

 

The deck felt like a foreign land under his feet. The boat was a small one-masted craft for a crew of four, but he and Niddler would have to make it alone. No monkeybird would join them on their perilous quest, and no monkeybird would ever replace what Ren had lost.

No ship would ever replace the Wraith either, but the Wraith was gone together with his crew. The Wraith was never his anyway, while this humble craft had been a gift from the monkeybirds of Pandawa to their savior. Ren didn't like the title, but he kept it anyway together with the boat.

According to Jargis' personal slaves, Konk had escaped as soon as the revolt had burst in the square. They had heard the piglet grunting something about Janda Town. It was there Ren and Niddler were headed.

As for Jargis, the slave trader had been captured and would be executed on the morrow. Ren had neither the time nor the interest to stay and attend the execution. Niddler had no interest in prolonging his stay on Pandawa either, he'd told Ren justice would be made and that was everything that mattered. As for Yellow-Wing, the projectile from a slingshot had caught him right in his chest. He would not betray his kind anymore.

“Ren,” the Queen Mother saluted him from the wharf. “May the waters be calm as glass on your way to Janda Town. If you ever need a safe port, think of Pandawa!” She raised one her violet arm in the air and waved.

“To freedom!” Ren shouted back before throwing off the bowline.

 

* * *

 

 

They were few leagues across the water when he finally turned his back to Pandawa. “Pretty proud of yourself, I see!” he said.

Niddler had taken the wheel and as he steered he kept his neck stretched up in all its length, his beautiful wings spread wide, although one was bandaged due to a battle wound. Niddler had bragged about that.

“And why not?” he answered. “From this day on, the world will no longer see monkeybirds as slaves. And I was part of that! Thanks to you,” he paused. “Friend!”

That made Ren smile. “I guess there is hope for my quest after all.” But his smile was short lived. “My one regret is Ioz and Tula,” it pained him to say their names out loud. “I'll miss those two rascals.”

“We'll find another crew, Ren!” Niddler wouldn't miss them.

Ren ran a hand across his face. Ioz was a gold-thirsty pirate and a thief. Tula had kept secrets from him, and she too was a thief. But Ren had grown fond of them nonetheless, and they had decided to leave. Without a second thought. Sure, Tula had stopped to consider the option to stay by his side, but she'd left anyway.

Ren couldn't blame them. And yet it hurt. But what good was to brood over it? His crew was gone and he had a world to save.

Chieftain had told them the journey to Janda Town would take four days, with the blessing of a calm sea and full winds. They had spent the first two days alternating their place between the wheel, sails and a rough bedding improvised on the deck so that who was sleeping could immediately man the boat if needed.

Ren couldn't sleep much, and when sleep finally claimed him, his dreams were troubled.

On the third morning of their journey to Janda Town, he woke up with a start from a nightmare in which he'd waken up to a desert boat. Niddler had abandoned him too.

The relief Ren felt as soon as he opened his eyes and spotted the ruby red of Niddler's feathers at the wheel was short lived. The world around him felt awfully quiet and cold. Slowly he realized the sails had stopped flapping for no wind was blowing. The sky was grey, and when he stood up to have a look at the sea around he found out they were surrounded by fog. Niddler looked troubled too, his wings were wrapped around his body like a shield.

“For how long?” Ren asked, his voice still husky from the sleep.

“What, Ren?” chirped Niddler.

“For how long have we been sailing in this fog?”

“Not long, I've been following the compass,” Niddler mumbled.

For a second Ren believed it was his Compass Niddler referred too, but then he remembered that Konk had it. The key to the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, in the hand of a gantha pig.

“We should-”

An unmistakable noise came from somewhere behind the fog. The rustle of a ship cutting across the water.

Ren was quick to push away the silly thought that it might be the Wraith. That was not the sound of the Wraith, the rustle belonged to a bigger craft.

The hope for a crew of sailors willing to lead him and Niddler to Janda Town was short lived too.

When the Maelstrom emerged from the fog it was too late to attempt an escape. They might have had a chance on a craft as swift as the Wraith, but the monkeybirds' boat was not her.

“The Maelstrom!” Niddler screeched.

The leviathan advanced closer and closer, looming above them. There was not denying the warship was coming their way.

There was a loud clung, followed but the rattling sound of chains being pulled. Ren's blood froze when he saw the leviathan's jaw was opening. Boats swallowed into the mouth of a leviathan, Bloth sure knew how to welcome his prisoners on board.

“Ren!” he heard Niddler screech. “Ren, what now?”

Ren didn't know. He stood there, frozen on the deck as the Maelstrom smashedagainst their boat. The boat heeled under his feet and next Ren was thrown overboard.

The water was so cold it knocked all the air out of his lungs. Ren heard something crash from the boat and moved right in time to dodge the barrel tumbling down. The foul smell of borka paste engulfed him, and then he realized he was covered in it.

“Niddler!” he cried out, trying to keep his head above the water. The weight of the borka paste dragging him down.

“Ren!” Niddler was in the water, not far from him, he too was covered in borka paste.

“Quick Niddler!” he screamed, “Carry us away!”

“I can't lift myself, much less both of us!” Niddler peeped before he sunk down. It was the jitatin borka paste, Ren had to do something or Niddler would soon drown.

The Maelstrom loomed over his head as the current pushed them right into the ship. Ren had no means left to fight against it.

Summoning his remaining strength Ren reached for Niddler and scooped him into his arms. Helpless, he left the treacherous sea carrying them right into the arms of the enemy.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was it for Break Up, next we'll move on to Betrayal!
> 
> About my change from the show: in Break Up we see Ren being knocked out by a blow to the back of his head. Excuse the rant, but I hate this trope of the "blow on the head" where the character is knocked unconscious and later wakes up with a mild headache and that's it; no consequences, he's fine. It's a huge pet peeve of mine, and there will never be blows on the head in my stories (unless they're fatal), NOT A CHANCE.
> 
> About my updating schedule: I'm flying back to my hometown on Friday, and I'll spend the holidays there together with my family. For this reason, I won't be able to update for the next two weeks. I'll be back with the first chapter of Betrayal on January 3! Until then I wish you all great holidays and see you in 2018! :)


	15. Betrayal (1 of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And after the holiday break, I'm back with the first chapter of Betrayal!
> 
> Instead of publishing four shorter chapters I've decided to divide Betrayal into two long chapters so that we can move faster to Victory (where, as you know, lots of exciting things will happen).
> 
> I hope you will enjoy the chapter!

**Bloth**

 

A gentle wind had started to blow from the East when the dagron rider began to scream.

Mantus had promised the dagron was tame and ready for its first ride. It had turned out that for once Mantus was wrong.

The beast was truly docile at first. It hadn't protested when Mantus had saddled it, and it had stood still as the rider mounted. It had let the man kick its flanks and following his order he had soared up in the sky. Like a well-trained dog, he had turned right and left, It had halted, dived and spun around.

Then, swift as a snake, it had jerked its head back and buried its fangs into the rider's leg.

The man was now screaming and fighting to pry the jaw from his flesh without truly succeeding. Bloth watched as he punched and scratched at the dagron's snout, but there was not much fists and nails could do against the thick skin of dagrons.

Then the dagron yanked him from the saddle. “Kill it,” the man bellowed. “Kill it.”

Bloth wouldn't give the command. Dagrons were a scarce commodity and there were good chances the beast might return to the Maelstrom after consuming its meal.

The dagron circled around the ship one more time, before it finally flew away, the rider squirming and shrieking in its jaws. 

A cunning, scheming beast. Bloth was almost amused.

“Mal maktoi!” Mantus slammed his fists into the railing.

Bloth turned to face his second in command. “How very disappointing, Mantus. Normally your training efforts yield better results.”

Mantus lips quivered in rage but he kept his mouth shut.

Bloth paced to the other side of the Maelstrom and leaning against the rail he shot a look down.

The cage swung and slammed against the hull. The ecomancer trapped in it was poking the sea with that annoying rattling stick of his. His curved back and trembling limbs made a pitiful sight.

“And as for you, Teron,” Bloth called out. The man looked up through the bars, his sad eyes squinting in the sunlight. “You promised me clear skies today, I want the same tomorrow.”

The ecomancer bowed his head down and went back to poking the water. Not talking to the captain when he was in a bad mood was a lesson everybody on the Maelstrom learned fast.

“My Lord!” Mantus appeared at his side, Bloth hadn't heard him approach. “We'll need more dagron riders to expand our range of scouting.”

Dagron riders were as rare as they were expensive. It was mostly sea scum who could be bought with the promise of fifty pieces of gold a ride, some of them even got away with more. But it was a risky job, every ride a bet against death; one that no man with half the brain of a barnacle would take.

“Do whatever it takes to get the boy-” Bloth stopped mid-sentence. Something in the air smelled wrong. “Borka paste?” he wondered out loud.

“What does Bloth want done with these new shipwrecked?” It was the new brigmaster. The man was dragging two prisoners in chains. The unfortunate souls were covered from head to toes in borka paste.

“Can I suggest eel dipping or starfish baiting?” The brigmaster went on.

Mantus had recommended the man after the previous brigmaster's untimely demise, and Bloth had once again trusted him. Mantus knew Bloth's crew better than him. While Bloth spent most of his time alone, his second in command talked to his shipmates, drank with them, gambled with them.

“And I might suggest your immediate withdrawal?” Mantus intervened. “Bloth is not amused at being disturbed!”

“Mantus, don't frighten the man!” Bloth chided him. “After all, the old brigmaster used to interrupt me as well.” He glared down at the brigmaster. “And we were the best of friends. Before his,” Bloth paused, drinking in the sight of the man's fear. “Accident, of course.”

The brigmaster's eyes grew as big as the moons. “I'll stow them in the Kramadorm until further notice!” He hurried away yanking the prisoners along.

“How long till Janda Town?” Bloth asked.

“Two days,” Mantus replied.

“Make it one, or I'll find another second in command.”

Bloth retired to the captain's quarters, slamming the door behind him. He let himself fall into the chair and poured a generous amount of wine into his goblet.

He was surrounded by idiots. It was no wonder Ren was still alive. Ren. That boy, that jitatin boy. So brave, so cunning; Bloth almost regretted having to kill him. Almost.

Bloth gulped the whole wine at once, barely tasting it.

When the monkeybird had dropped the son of Primus on the deck, Bloth had thought about finding him a place on board. The boy was strong, brave enough to defy the captain, and handsome. Handsome could go long ways.

Bloth still wondered how did he miss the resemblance. The look, the golden hair, and the eyes. Those were the eyes of Primus. Bloth longed to carve them out.

At least Primus was dead, Bloth could rejoice about that. Long live the king.

He refilled his goblet, deciding to enjoy his drink slowly this time. He let the wine brush against his lips, he savored its scent and texture. It was good, rich, meant to be sipped and not guzzled down like water. Bloth swirled the goblet in his hand, eyes lost in the shade of glistening red, the same way she used to do.

He slammed the goblet down onto the table, the wine sloshing over the rim and spraying over his jerkin. His hand curled into a fist, nails digging deep into the flesh. Bloth wouldn't think about her. Thinking about her hurt. It hurt so much he couldn't breathe and it felt like he was drowning.

Bloth closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. The Maelstrom would never sink. He had to focus. Focus. They were headed to Janda Town where they would soon meet Konk and get the Compass and the Treasure.

Primus' stubborn son believed he could stand against Bloth and his Maelstrom. History had taught him nothing, but soon he would learn.

 

* * *

 

 

**Tula**

 

 

Tula recognized the walls of Janda Town from several leagues away. They were exactly as she pictured them based on the stories she'd heard. 

It hadn't taken a lot of asking around in Pandawa to find out that during a bloody uprising in the main square a short peg-leg and two large men had stolen a boat and headed East.

The Wraith was fast enough to burn the miles Konk had managed to put between them. Tula and Ioz hadn't slept much, and she hadn't believed her own eyes when she'd finally spotted Konk's boat dead ahead.

“So, this is where the piglet has been scurrying to?” said Ioz.

“Only the scum of the sea drop anchor here.”

“Careful, woman!” Ioz looked at the island ahead, a strange softness in his eyes. “My fondest memories remain in Janda Town!”

“Figures.”

Konk's boat sailed past the walls.

“The piglet will burrow in until Bloth comes to his rescue,” said Ioz. “We should have more than enough time to reclaim the First Treasure and the Compass. Then nothing will stand between us and the other Twelve Treasures of Rule.”

Ioz sounded confident, too confident for his own sake. Tula felt genuinely sorry for him. Ioz was a strong, skilled fighter, but he couldn't sense spiders weaving their nets in the darkness and that weakness would get him killed one day.

“And what better place than Janda Town to celebrate that?”

“Think about someone besides yourself, Ioz!” Tula scolded him. “Your greedy impulses will have to wait until we finish Ren's quest!”

Saying his name out loud hurt.

“Well, maybe. Just for the time being,” said Ioz.

Tula hadn't allowed herself to think about him, but now for one short moment she put her shield down and felt the scorching flames of guilt and shame. Ren had saved her life back in the Atanis realm of caves and mold. She had repaid him by leaving him behind to die. She could have stayed, she could have fought by his side, that was what she was meant to do, after all, fighting. He could be alive now, they could be sailing from Pandawa this very moment to carry on their quest.

Or she could be dead too. _And how many lives will end with mine?_ Dying was not an option for Tula. She had to stay alive and she had to focus.

How many times had Daron scolded her for her lack of focus? How many times had he repeated that her poor concentration will get her killed one day?

Ren was gone. She had to make peace with that and focus on the target ahead.

The Wraith sailed past the rocky walls of Janda Town, and the ill-famed city appeared in front her eyes in all of its mighty chaos.

The harbor looked neverending and one could not possibly count the number of ships and boats docked in there.

Ioz ordered her to take the wheel while he climbed into the rigging. Tula did as she was bid, and the closer the ship got to the docks the more details of the town she was able to take in.

Behind the harbor was a market packed with stands and people. Already from the distance, the winds carried the shouts and the scent of spices, borka paste, and ale.

The rest of the island overflowed with buildings that went all the way up to the hills.

No wonder Janda town was the port of choice for pirates and other scoundrels. Tula cursed. Konk could get easily lost in that infernal mess.

They were able to find Konk's stolen boat, but it didn't help them much. The craft had been hastily abandoned in the port, they hadn't even bothered to drop anchor. Smart choice, there was no point in caring for a boat when the Maelstrom was on her way to their rescue.

A cacophony of noises enveloped the market. The merchants screaming about deals and the superior quality of their merchandise, men and women fighting, drunken sailors singing.

Tula felt suddenly lost and couldn't help but follow Ioz around. He was asking merchants about a peg-leg and two brutes running around while, in the chaos of the market, Tula heard a squawk.

She jerked her head towards the sound, her heart pounding like a drum. It was a parrot, a red tiny little thing perched on the top of a fishmonger's stand. Her mind wandered to another much bigger bird with the same ruby red plumage, and she wondered what had become of Niddler. The horrendous thought that he might have been sold back into slavery sent a cold shiver down her back.

Tula looked back at the Wraith docked in the harbor, the red of her wood clearly visible from the market. She couldn't man the boat alone.

A hand clutched her shoulder, she turned to meet Ioz glaring down at her. “While you were contemplating the lovely sky I found out where pig-face is running to. Care to join?”

“Lead the way.”

Focused, she had to stay focused on her mission.

They shoved their way out of the market just to end up in a cramped and stinky maze of streets and alleys. Tula couldn't tell one from the other, and again it was no wonder outlaws seemed to like Janda Town so much. Ioz, however, knew where he was headed.

After turning into the umpteenth alley they ended up in a square where a big building towered in front of them. At first, Tula thought it might be the palace of some rich merchant,but then her eyes fell on the bright sign hanged above the entryway. It was a gamehouse.

Ioz sidled around the building stopping in front of one of the small windows on its side.

“What are you waiting for? If the piglet is in there let's go get that Compass and Treasure.”

“I like to be careful, woman.”

That was new. “By Daven's beard, there's more than one way to take the bristles off that little gantha pig!”

“Your curse is very original, but I know this gamehouse. Take a look inside.”

She did. The glass of the small window could have used some washing, everything she could see was undefined patches of colors and shapes dancing around. Too many shapes, the gamehouse was as packed as the street market.

“So?”

“That's no leviathan worship service,” Ioz answered.

Maybe one day she'd tell him there were no leviathan worshippers left in Andorus. If Ioz ever cared to listen.

“So what's your point? I suppose you have some brilliant plan now, don't you?”

“No, I just said that I know this gamehouse.” And it would appear somebody in the gamehouse knew Ioz. Somebody Ioz wasn't in a hurry to meet again. Tula had no time to pry.

“How well?” she asked.

“Very well.”

“I may have a plan after all,” she answered.

 

* * *

 

 Tula approached the main door of the gamehouse.

“I swear on my giddy aunt,” a humanoid was saying to a big redhead standing in the way. “I have no more weapons, Zoolie!”

“I believe you, Strant!” the man answered cheerfully. “Go, and may luck follow!” He placed a hand on the humanoid's back, a little over his waistband to invite him inside.

As the guest stepped inside the gamehouse a knife had appeared in the man's hand. “Smool brain!” he chuckled as he tossed the blade behind his back. It hit the floor with the loud sound of steel against steel.

Ioz had warned her about Zoolie, the owner of the gamehouse, and his one rule nobody could break: no weapons were allowed in his gamehouse.

Tula stepped forward.

“Now, now! Top of the morning, young beauty!” the man smiled. “Coming to grace Zoolie's gamehouse?”

“I am,” Tula smiled as she cocked her head. Her hair moved out of the way to reveal her neck.

“Be welcome, my dear. But first, hand me that pretty sword. You might hurt somebody with that.”

Tula unsheathed her sword and handed it to him.

His long, frizzy locks were tied on top of his head in five tails, they were the same bright red of coral. Aldian's red was a darker shade, but she thought about him nonetheless. At times she missed him; she missed his calm and composure. She longed to have his ability to stay focused no matter what.

“Good girl!” Zoolie turned to gently place her sword on the floor behind him, giving her a glimpse of the room. It was a small space, its floor scattered over with blades of every shape and form; there were also bows, crossbows, whips, a lance and a gas pistol. It was the first time she ever saw one.

“Now, my dear, why won't you give me your dagger?”

Tula forced her lips to curve into a smile. “All yours,” she said taking the knife from her boot. “But be careful with this one, it was a gift from my father.”

“Daddy must be proud of you! Now dear girl, anything else you want to give me?”

Tula sighed and grabbed the throwing knife hidden in her waistband. “Can I go now?”

“Of course my dear, go and may luck follow!”

She took a long deep breath and stepped inside.

Entering in Zoolie's gamehouse was like traveling to a different world made of bright colors, laughter, and chaos. Her ears were immediately assaulted with the barking laughter, curses and the sound of rolling dice.

Tula knew that wherever she went eyes followed. Her beauty and the power that came with that weren't a mystery. Men's eyes, women's eyes, they all looked and stared. This time though, not a single pair of eyes focused on the beautiful girl stepping in the overly crowded gamehouse. The guests were too busy eating, drinking from the Cohol Vines and gaming.

The main room was large and packed with furniture. The only empty spot she saw was the grudge pit in the center of the room. 

She could see countless gaming tables and fortune wheels, and on the western side of the room was the longest bar counter she'd ever seen.

An enormous humanoid towered behind it, he was squeezing the content of the Cohol Vines hanging down from the ceiling into the cups of the guests seated around it. She had never drunk the nectar of the Cohol Vines, but she knew enough about its effects to know those men would soon be talking to imaginary fairies.

Tula advanced slowly, cautiously, studying every corner, every table. Konk was there but in that crowd, it wasn't an easy task to find him.

“Double reef, pay!” somebody shouted.

“Noy jitatin jitat!”

“Double or nothing?”

“Had enough, need a drink.”

Tula wondered how many of those men had managed to sneak a weapon in the gamehouse, like her. A knife was still hidden in a secret pocket of her jerkin between her shoulders. It was enough, she didn't need to fight them all, just one, Konk. He and his shipmates, but Ioz would take care of them.

A hand slammed on her shoulder. “Ahoy, lady!” He was a man, eyes fogged by either ale or the nectar of the Cohol Vines. Maybe both. “I buy you a drink!” he slurred.

She removed his hand from her shoulder. “Maybe another time, sailor.”

The man slurred something about Tula drinking from his vine, and before her hand could reach for the knife she hurried away. She couldn't afford to pick up extra fights.

 _Stay focused_.

The more she adventured into the room the stronger the smell of ale and sweat grew, and then she saw them. They sat at a table, looking completely at ease among their own kind.

She braced for the upcoming fight.

“Hi, boys!” she said.

Konk gasped. “There's one! Stop her! Where the other?”

“Ioz?” she said. “He's smilge tossing somewhere. I can handle the three of you alone!”

“Is that so, woman?” the piglet grunted. “Fetch!”

The two brothers charged at her, not nearly fast enough.

Tula jumped high, she grabbed one of the chandeliers dangling from the ceiling and flung herself on top of a gaming table. Dice and coins went flying around.

Now all eyes were on her, and not because of her pretty face. That should have created enough distraction for Ioz to act.

The brothers were coming for her. Tula bent down to seize a pouch full to the brim with coins and tossed it to the floor. It burst open sending the coins flying all around. The men launched themselves at the coins like starving seagulls with a crab.

She grabbed another pouch and tossed it away before jumping down the table and spring towards Konk who was now sitting unguarded.

Tula was so close when the first dart struck. It plunged into the table where Konk sat at. She turned.

Zoolie was approaching, a dart pistol in both his hands. “Now, freeze, warriors! This is my gamehouse,” the man's voice was still friendly which made him sound even more menacing. Tula knew he would shoot if they gave him a reason.

_Where is Ioz?_

“Take your squabble to the fighting den down the street!” Zoolie said, “Or-”

The man suddenly looked down at his feet. “By Daven's beard-”

Tula heard the thud coming from under the floor. “Noy jitat, you overfed, corpulent son of a sea-mule!”

She recognized the voice. She should have never trusted Ioz with anything.

Zoolie moved away as he secured the pistols to his belt. He bent down and stuck his big hands in the gap between the boards trying to pry them free. Cursing, Tula joined.

They managed to remove the board, to find Ioz standing there.

“What are you doing under my gamehouse, you half-masted-”

“Move!” thundered Ioz, as he climbed up. “You rudderless, barnacle-brained. Last time I was here, these boards were loose!”

“Aye! And I nailed them back down after you sneaked away without paying your bill!” Zoolie stepped closer to Ioz, pointing a finger at his chest.

“You two know each other?” Tula asked.

“He owes me money!” they both answered at the same time. And then both men burst into laughter and hugged each other.

“I see all your hair's grown back in, Zoolie!” said Ioz, patting the man on the shoulder.

“Oh, one little deck fire can't hurt me!”

Tula felt her lips curve up into a smile, and for a moment allowed herself to laugh together with them. It felt refreshing, comforting.

_When was the last time I truly laughed?_

Her heart ached at the memory. It was in Wraith dining quarters, with Ren.

And suddenly she remembered about their quest. She shot a look behind where Konk had stood. The peg-leg wasn't there anymore. Not a trace of him, not a trace of the brothers.

“Noy jitat!” she roared. “Konk has escaped!”

Ioz turned, his nostrils flaring. “I swear, that Treasure and Compass are cursed! See you in another ten years, Zoolie!”

They were already on their way when Zoolie spoke.

“Not so fast, mate. Are you after these trinkets?”

Tula couldn't keep herself from gasping when she saw the Compass and Treasure in Zoolie's hand.

“How-” she gaped. “When did you-”

“Konk never pays for his drinks, so I took a... Deposit!”

“You sneaky son of a barnacle!” Ioz moved to retrieve the gems.

“You are welcome, mate! Ioz, I've grown tired of civilization here. Are you still in need of someone to cover your flanks?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ioz' face. “Funny you should ask, friend. We're about to kick Bloth's backside across all twenty seas.”

“Getting in trouble with Bloth again. I see Ioz, you'll never change. And neither will I. I'm in!”

The men patted each other on the shoulders again.

“Let me gather my stuff Ioz, will you?” asked Zoolie. “Mars!” he then called out to the barkeeper. “Keep our civilized brethren in harness when I'm gone. I might live through this one!”

The barkeeper shrugged. “Have fun, Zoolie!”

Another crewmate, it was something to be happy about. They would need many more to complete Ren's quest.

Tula had to fake another smile. Zoolie's adventure wouldn't last long, that much she knew.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bloth and Tula are my favorite POV-characters, that's probably why they're always so hard for me to write. l love telling the story from their perspective and yet I'm never fully satisfied with the way I write them. You feel me? :/
> 
> The next chapter of Betrayal will be up on January 10.


	16. Betrayal (2 of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I've published so far. I hope you'll enjoy it! 
> 
> I changed something from the show, as always I'll explain why in a note at the end of the chapter.

 

**Ioz**

 

Ioz had feared the Compass wouldn't work with him, but when he'd raised it high above his head like Ren used to do, the gem had come alive in his hand, casting its blue beam across the sea.

It pointed North, that's where they would head. Tomorrow.

Now that they had stolen the Compass and the Treasure back, Ren's quest could wait a day longer. What Ioz needed was a drink and a long chat about the old days with Zoolie.

After ten years of running a gamehouse, all the color had washed away from Zoolie's skin, and his once flat stomach had grown three times its size. Although, Zoolie was still the same fun sea-mule Ioz had met a lifetime ago. Words poured from his filthy mouth like a waterfall, and he had never lost his habit of slamming a hand on his leg when he laughed.

“Let me understand, you rascals,” Zoolie said as he tossed an empty clam shell behind his back. “You met this prince... Ren, and took on his quest to gather the Thirteen Treasures.”

The three of them were having supper in the Wraith's dining quarters. The food and ale were on Zoolie, of course. Together with a new set of weapons, he had taken his time to rally the gamehouse pantry.

Ioz swallowed his ale. “Ay.”

“And that fancy blue stone points to the jewels?”

Ioz nodded.

Zoolie reached for his cup. “And once gathered the Treasures will revive Octopon?”

“Ay, so I've heard.”

“You know Ioz, that those Thirteen Trinkets are just a myth?”

“You've kept one in your hand! You've seen the Compass pointing out to the sea!” Tula jumped up.

“Easy, easy, my dear! I don't deny the existence of the Treasures, I question their power!”

“I'm sure the stories I've heard are not much different from the ones you've heard, Zoolie. Those Treasures might serve a greater purpose than just restoring Octopon to its former glory.”

Zoolie tore a chunk of fresh bread and chewed on it as he spoke. “Ay. The Thirteen Treasures against Dark Water. More legends. Is that why you're risking your own skin and getting in trouble with Bloth?”

“You have a better plan to get rid of Dark Water, Zoolie?” asked Ioz.

“I'll drink it all, till there's not a drop left. Like this!” Zoolie seized his cup and emptied it in one long swig.

“I can help you with that, you overgrown sea slug!” Ioz gulped the entire content of his cup to prove his point.

When he slammed it back down, Zoolie grabbed the jar to refill it. It didn't matter whether Zoolie believed in the power of the Treasures or not, Ioz knew his mate would join them anyway. Zoolie was never one to believe in legends and myths, but he yearned for adventures.

All these thoughts crowded his mind when Ioz' eyes slid to Tula. She was playing with an empty clam shell, balancing it on her fingers. Her face was absent, lost in thoughts. 

Zoolie had started to chatterabout his life in Janda Town, but Ioz barely heard him. On their own will, his eyes traveled from Tula's pretty face to her neck. Ioz allowed himself to savor the sight of those gracious lines. And then, inevitably, his eyes journeyed downward to her breasts. There was something mesmerizing in the way her chest swelled with each breath, and Ioz wondered how would it feel to rip her shirt open. For a moment he could almost hear the sound of the fabric tearing apart, and by the two moons maybe he would do it one day.

That was the moment Tula's eyes flashed up at him. Ioz focused back on Zoolie. “Why is Fish Lips after the Treasures, anyway?” his friend asked as he stroke his red beard.

Ioz gasped. “Oh, blast my soul Zoolie, I forgot to ask him.”

Tula snorted at that.

“I see. And what's your prince doing meanwhile?” Zoolie asked. “Resting his ass on silky pillows, I bet?”

“Ren is dead,” Tula's voice was no more than a low deep growl, and Zoolie's smile washed away from his face.

“He was a good lad. Too good for his own sake,” said Ioz. He might have added something else, but his throat clenched and he found himself unable to speak. He seized his cup and emptied it down.

Once he was done, Tula reached for the jar of ale and refilled all their cups.

“By Daven's beard, Ioz, is that fondness I hear in your voice?” asked Zoolie, a grin on his face.

“Shut that sewer you call a mouth, Zoolie!” Ioz lifted his cup. “A toast. To Ren! Like he, may I die with sword held at the ready, and maybe a few coins in my pocket!”

“To Ren!” said Tula, raising her cup.

“Ay, to Ren!” Zoolie joined and gulped the whole ale down like the seadog he was.

“Then it's agreed!” said Ioz after taking another long swig. “We'll take on Bloth's finest and ugliest, spit in his eye, bust his keel, and be back ashore to brag about it by nightfall!”

“He and that Mantus,” Zoolie pounded his hand on the table. “The bug still owes me money!”

“Or is it the other way around?”

When Zoolie laughed his belly bobbed up and down. “Does it matter, you scoundrel? I take what I can get!”

“And blast me if by the time we gather the last of the jitatin Treasure you won't look like a seaman again!” For a moment the room spun around. Ioz cupped his forehead to steady his head. “You've turned white as milk. You trying to become a fair lady?”

“Ay, fairer than this beauty here,” he winked at Tula. “And with some luck, a prince will marry me!” At that Zoolie burst into laughter, and he guffawed until he collapsed with his head down on the table. “Noy jitat, am I getting too old to hold my drink?” he slurred.

“You bloated pufferfish,” the room spun again and this time Ioz had too brace his elbows on the table to rest his chin on his palms. He hadn't realized how much he'd drunk.

Zoolie was trying to straighten up to no avail, and Ioz couldn't make sense of the babble coming from his mouth. He started to laugh. He was drunk like a gantha pig. Drunk like a green boy.

For a moment the world went dark, but he managed to clear his eyes. And when he was met with the sight of his cup, Ioz realized it was still half full. Zoolie's ale was stronger than he remembered. But then Ioz looked up at Tula. Her face a mask of stone.

“Tula.” Ioz leaned forward to look at her cup. It was still full. “Tula, what-”

His arms couldn't support him anymore and he crashed down on the table.

“Sorry Ioz, but you're not the only one with plans.”

The world went dark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Ren**

 

 

The brig was located deep down into the Maelstrom's core and they called it the Kramadorm. As everything aboard, it was a place straight from a nightmare. The giant bones covered walls and ceiling, mildew of a hundred shades of green and gray had stuck to them, and grimly Ren noticed a sickening layer of what looked like mud carpeting the floor. The Kramadorm was permeated by a moist cold that seeped right into Ren's bones, and he couldn't help shivering like a leaf. 

Ren heard the shouts of the prisoners before he saw them. There was at least fifty of them, gathered around a platformwhere two people were wrestling.

Ren took a couple of steps into the brig, the stench of mold mingled with the reek of decay. Ren covered his nose with a hand but by doing so he was assaulted with a whiff of borka paste that got him dizzy. The foul smell of the borka paste was the least of Ren's problem, his skin hitched so badly he felt like scratching it all away.

For once Niddler was no complaining, but Ren didn't miss the awfulsound his feathers made as they ripped from his body at every new movement. They both needed help, and as Ren looked at the crowd of shouting prisonershe almost lost hope.

“Did we ever fool Bloth! He must have ballast for brains!” he said. They could both use some cheering up.

“Agreed!” answered Niddler. “I'll have to wear borka paste more often, and-” he squawked before he reached out and yanked Ren away from where he stood. Silent as a snake, an eel bigger than any eel had the right to be had slithered out from a grate on the floor. Its sharp teeth had been aimed at Ren's ankles.

“Careful!” warned Niddler. “The only way I stayed alive on the Maelstrom was to keep clear of the sewer ways!”

“I will not forget that,” said Ren, gaping as the mutant eel crawled back from where it had come. He didn't want to know what else lurked in the sewer ways. “Now come, I want to see what's going on.”

Two different fighters had jumped on the platform. One a humanoid who had Ren wonder why the jailers hadn't removed his nails. They were long as daggers and looked as sharp.

The second contender was...

Ren gasped. “Is the old woman mad?” He was about to run to the platform when Niddler restrained him. “This isn't your fight, Ren! Bloth treats his prisoners like animals, so most have become nothing more than wild beasts!”

The match had begun.

“To your left, Avagon!” somebody in the crowd shouted.

“No fair! She's weakening!” responded another.

Animals or not, Ren couldn't stay aside watching that old woman wrestling alone and unarmed against that brute with hands like knives. Ignoring Niddler's pleading, Ren shoved his way through the crowd, the borka paste tearing at his skin, until a large woman pushed him back.

“Let me pass!” he ordered.

She didn't flinch. “Easy, new one. If you want to challenge Avagon, you must wait your turn!”

A grunt caught their attention. Ren saw the humanoid charge. The old woman stood still as stone until the very last moment when as fast a lightning bolt she dodged, seized the opponent's wrist, yanked it and twisted it. The humanoid growled in pain, lost balance and, without breaking a sweat, the woman kicked him down the platform. Ren watched him hitting the muddy floor with a grunt.

A chorus of mad cheers broke into the Kramadorm and Ren found himself smiling too. He had misjudged the old lady and just for a moment his thoughts went to another girl he had once underestimated. But he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on her.

“Nurgut has metal!” somebody screamed and the cheers suddenly died.

“Where did he find steel?”

Ren saw it, the gleam of a blade. The humanoid had jumped back on the platform, a dagger in his hand. Nobody from the crowd seemed eager to intervene. Animals, indeed. Ren took hold of his father's sword and slipped it across the platform. It slid right to the old lady's feet.

She eyed the sword, something he could not read flickered across her face. And then she kicked it away. “Fool!” she spat at him before turning her attention back to her opponent. He charged.

Once again the woman didn't move a muscle until the very last moment when she managed to seize his wrist. The dagger clanged against the platform, but her opponent was prepared this time and Ren watched helplessly as he raised a hand to lash at her neck with his long nails. The old woman parried the hit and before her opponent could respond she shoved him off the platform for the second time.

Again the crowd burst into loud yells to cheer for her.

“Avagon is still leader!” the big woman patted Ren on his shoulder. “Long life for Avagon!”

Ren smiled and for a moment he imagined Ioz challenging the old woman to a fight. He could picture his face twisted in anger as she kicked him to the ground.

No. Ioz belonged to a past long gone. Ioz had left him behind.

Ren closed his eyes and took a deep long breath. He had to clear his mind from the past and focus on the present. He had to find a way to get himself and Niddler off the Maelstrom before Bloth found out who he had managed to capture.

When he opened his eyes he found the old woman standing in front of him, glaring at him.

They stared at each other in silence before Ren decided to speak. “Never have I seen such a move! Could you show me-”

He screamed when the woman grabbed his wrist and yanked his arm behind his back. For a terrifying moment, Ren thought it might break.

Without a word and still gripping at his wrist the woman pushed him till they were standing in front of his father sword. At that point, she let go of him and picked up the weapon from the ground. She cradled it in her hand the way a mother could hold her child.

Then her eyes were back on Ren, they were filled with rage. “From where did this sword come, thief?”

“Gentle! Please, please!” Niddler had appeared at his side. “He kept it in his boot!”

“I mean before today, monkeybird.”

“It was a gift from my father,” Ren answered.

The woman turned to look at him, her eyes focused as if she was trying to see into his very soul under the layer of borka paste.

“Come!” she finally ordered. “I have something to show you!”

She walked to a far corner of the Kramadorm, where part of the wall was concealed under a yellowed blanket. She ripped it away. Ren's heart missed a beat. Carved in the wood was the silhouette of an octopus, his four tentacles spread wide around it. It was an act of silent rebellion, it was the seal of Octopon.

Ren bowed his head in respect, as Jenna had taught him, the gesture came naturally.

“Why do you lower your eyes?” the woman asked.

“It is the seal of Octopon, my home.”

“Eight bays of Mer!” she gasped. “Primus is alive! Why else would he send his son to rescue us?”

_No, please, no._

“He did it, he made it to Octopon! How fares our king?”

When he opened his mouth to answer no sound came at first. He gulped down and tried again. “Gone,” he whispered. “Taken by the sea.”

For a moment the woman stared at him, her smile still lingering on her lips. Ren watched as slowly her eyes went round with horror and her smile died. He could have coped with her crying, he could have coped with her screaming and calling him a liar. But everything the woman did was slumping down to the ground, silent, eyes unfocused.

Ren could almost hear his heart shuttering into thousand pieces.

“No,” she whimpered after what felt like hours. “Primus.”

“I'm sorry,” was everything Ren could answer. “My lady.”

“The name is Avagon,” she said, eyes fixed on the floor. “Once the trusted aide of your father.”

“I am-”

“I know who you are, Ren. I was there the day your mother brought you into this world.”

 _Your mother_.

The world went dark around him.

Jenna had always been enough. Alone, she'd given him all the love and care he would ever need, and there was a small part of Ren which still believed his parents were merchants perished in a storm.

It was still hard for him to believe he was King Primus' son, the rightful heir to the throne of Octopon. It had never crossed his mind that once he'd had a mother. His true mother. If Bloth had captured his father, maybe... Ren's eyes flashed around the Kramadorm.

“You won't find her here,” Avagon said. Firmly but not unkindly.

“What can you tell me? The lighthouse, my father, Jenna, Alomar's Compass, this quest I find myself on-”

Avagon rubbed her temples. “Enough! Stop, young Ren, enough! I can only tell you what I know.” She paused. “First you two clean yourselves, the longer you wait the harder it'll be to get rid of the borka paste.”

 

* * *

 

 

Getting rid of the borka paste was a horrendous experience Ren was not eager to live again.

Avagon had led them to a far corner of the Kramadorm and she'd also fetched them two buckets of muddywater and two worn brushes as soft as sandpaper.

Ren had stripped down he'd been relieved to see the borka paste hadn't seeped through his clothes. It was a small mercy given the fact that he had to scrub his exposed skin till it was raw and burning.

But Ren didn't dare to complain, it was much harder for Niddler to get rid of the paste stuck to his feathers and he lost many in the process. That was until Ren, once done with his face, proceeded to remove the paste from his hair. He cursed as he tried to run the brush through it and then cursed some more.

“I think you should just cut it, Ren,” said Niddler as he scrubbed at his belly. “I can help you.”

“I think you should just pluck those feathers, Niddler.” Ren snapped. “I can help you.”

Niddler squawked as Ren kept on trying to brush the paste from his hair.

In the end, he had to help Niddler scrubbing the paste from his back where he couldn't reach, and some of it was still stuck to his own clothes but there was not much more Ren could do about it. At least he had managed to keep both his skin and hair. That was a small victory.

They joined Avagon back in the far corner of the Kramadorm. She was seated on the floor, brooding.

“We are clean,” Ren said. “Now, please, tell me what you know.”

Avagon gaped at him. “You truly are Primus' son,” she closed her eyes, her chest rising as she took a deep breath. “It was the year of the Black Tide. When you were new to the world, Primus set sail to seek the Treasures of Rule. After gathering the first seven, he sought the remaining six.”

“But why?” Ren urged.

“Greed, most likely!” Niddler said.

“No never!” Avagon shouted. “Only he knew of their true purpose. And we, his closest friends, followed without question. We sailed with a foul wind away from the safe waters of Octopon and into the unexplored sea fields of Aymara. That's where he laid waiting in the fog. Bloth. Whatever beauty or mystical truth the Treasures held from Primus, Bloth saw them only as plunder. Primus gave the seven to his most trusted captains, saving the Compass for Alomar, his spiritual attendant. Though Primus and I were captured, the others escaped, and hid the first Seven Treasures of Rule.”

“So, no wonder Bloth burned Octopon to the ground,” said Niddler. “When I was a slave here, he would scream into the night about finding those Treasures.”

“And for twenty years, I was a prisoner myself in that lighthouse.”

“Not a prisoner, you were kept safe, so you could live to this day.”

“By my father's blood, I will find the last of the Treasures. But not before I repay Bloth!”

Whether Avagon believed in him or not he couldn't say. “There is only one escape from here,” was everything she answered.

“Good!” Niddler jumped up.

“For the living or the dead, there is only one way out of the Kramadorm. The sewer ways.” She walked to a big grate and kneeled down. Ren watched as she coiled her hands around the bars. “Come, Ren, help me out.”

It was heavy as the moons, but they managed to lift it. The foul smell coming from down there didn't promise anything good, and when he peeped inside the hole all he saw was darkness.

Avagon then walked to another far spot, next to the place where somebody had carved the sigil of Octopon. Ren saw her pry a beamfrom the floor and produce a torch from a hidden opening.

She handed it to Ren together with a flint.

“Come with us, Avagon, join me as you once joined my father!”

“I will, Ren, but not now.” She turned. “Vendat! Koonya!” she called out, “Call for a gathering, we have plans to make!”

“On second thought, perhaps I'll just stay here and enjoy life as a prisoner,” peeped Niddler as he looked down into the sewer.

“I cannot leave you here Niddler, monkeybirds belong out there under the sun, not here in this forsaken hell.”

“What if the Constrictus is down there? What if we swim into a patch of Dark Water? What if we-”

“Enough monkeybird, now get inside, quickly!” ordered Avagon.

“I'll return for you all, Avagon. You have my word!”

She shook her head and Ren could swear he saw the shade of a smile on her lips. “Be gone now, Ren. We'll see each other again.”

 

* * *

 

 

The foul smell was sharper down in the sewer ways and Ren grimaced when he found himself deep to his waist in the sickening brown water.

At first, Niddler tried to fly, declaring that nothing would make him ever touch that water. After slamming his head against the low roof for the third timehe decided to perch on top of Ren's shoulders. Ren allowed him to stay there as long as it would keep him quiet. Niddler was surprisingly heavy, and that did not help him marching forward into the tunnel. However Niddler had carried Ren around several times, and now it was his turn to get his friend out of danger.

Ren trudged into the water, fighting against his urge to retch. There were things crawling on the walls, he could see them in the feeble light of the torch. There were things floating on the water as well. Some looked as harmless as driftwood, some looked awfully like snakes.

On and on he went, gripping at the torch as if his life depended on it, which was not completely far from the truth. He wondered what would happen if he dropped the torch into the water. How could they go on in total darkness? How would they even find their way back to the Kramadorm without a light to guide them?

“I should have asked Avagon for a second torch.”

Niddler's deafening screech reminded him of why he shouldn't have spoken out loud.

“Don't fear Niddler, I'll get us out of here.”

Niddler was now shaking on top of his shoulder, making it even harder for Ren to walk. “I don't want to die here, Ren. I don't want to die on the Maelstrom.”

Ren was about to respond when something shrieked behind them. His blood turned to ice.

The torch cast its light against a monster he had seen already. The Constrictus Ioz had called it. This was a much smaller version of it, but none the less terrifying for that.

Ren reached for his father's sword and backed up, slowly. He knew it was pointless to flee, the beast would swim faster than he could run with his legs deep down in the water.

“Ren,” Niddler's voice was nothing but a whisper. “Please don't let me die here.”

The beast wriggled in the water but then paused again. It seemed likeit was sniffing at the putrid air. Then something floating on the water caught its attention. When he opened his mouth and caught the insect. It crunched it with its teeth and swallowed it down.

That gave Ren an idea. He acted fast, lunging to the wall of the sewer, the torch cast its light upon a colony of the biggest cockroaches Ren had ever seen. With a sweep of his arm, he tossed them into the water.

The beast dived upon them, and Ren used the moment to flee as fast as he could.

Kunda must have been on his side, for he noticed an open grate standing on top of his head.

“Hold these,” he said as he handled Niddler his sword and torch. Then he pushed the grate down, blocking the passage. The beast would not chase them, they just had to hope they would not encounter any other on their way to freedom.

“If only Ioz and Tula knew what fun they were missing.” The words left his tongue before he could stop them, but Niddler didn't answer anything to that.

The rest of the journey through the sewer ways was none the more pleasant, but they didn't encounter any more freaks of nature ready to feast on them, and that was a small blessing.

At first, Ren thought it was his mind playing tricks on him when he saw the light coming from the ceiling, but then Niddler gasped and he knew they had made it.

“The light! Ren, we made it!”

“Hush Niddler! We'll take a look outside, but you need to keep quiet.”

The source of light came was a grate in the deck of the ship, Ren could not really tell where but he could hear voices coming from the world outside. He extinguished his torch and climbed out, hiding in the darkness, he took a look outside and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

Bloth himself was standing next to the grate. “This had better be worthwhile!”

“I believe this naja dog is yours!” A woman appeared next to him. She dropped something on the deck, what Ren couldn't see.

“Greetings, Bloth!”

Ren remembered that voice, it could only belong to Konk.

“Perhaps a reward for all my trouble?” the woman asked.

“Excellent idea,” Bloth answered. “You will have the honor of being my next dagron pilot.”

The men around the deck laughed at that.

“No!” screamed the woman. “No, wait!” It was no long before her voice faded away.

“Konk!” Bloth roared. “My day never seems complete without my stumbling into you!”

“Good news!” the piglet blurted out. “The boy is dead!”

“How dead?”

“Killed, in a slave revolt on Pandawa!”

“Funny! I don't feel dead!” peeped Niddler.

“Quiet, or we will be!” Ren hushed him.

“Then you have the Compass and the First Treasure of Rule?” asked Bloth.

“I was just getting to that-”

Ren heard Konk whimper as Bloth shouted to hand him the stolen objects.

“I lost them,” Konk stuttered. “To Ioz and that she-devil friend of his. But Konk fought a good fight, and single-handedly-”

 _Ioz_. _She-devil_. Ren's heart slammed against his chest.

“In other words, you failed. And failure has only one reward.”

“The pit!” somebody on the deck yelled.

“The pit!” another voice echoed, and soon the whole deck was filled with hundred voices shouting. “The pit!”

“Thank Kunda for Ioz and Tula!” Ren said. His shipmates had not given up on his quest after all. “Since they have the First Treasure and the Second is safe here with me, Bloth will leave empty-handed!”

Did Ioz and Tula believe him dead? Would they ever meet again? Ren felt suddenly hopeful.

“Sixteen poogats on the Constrictus!” somebody on the deck shouted.

“Twenty on the Constrictus!”

“Noy jitat, twenty-five on the beast!”

“Which one? The Constrictus or Konk?”

“Fifty drabuls on the Constrictus!”

“One-thousand gold nuggets!” somebody shouted and all the other voices went quiet. “On Konk!”

“It's not like you to throw your ship's pay away, Mantus,” said Bloth.

“I'm not completely at risk. After all, the only two beings to ever escape the Constrictus are Ren, and most of Konk.”

“After this, send eight detachments out to search for Ioz and those-”

“Friend Bloth!”

Somebody cut him off and Ren froze. The voice sounded awfully familiar.

Then she appeared next to the grate, a smirk on her beautiful face.

She tossed something at Bloth, the object gleamed in the sunlight. Bloth caught it in his hands, his ugly face was dumbstruck.

Bile rose at the back of Ren's throat as the First Treasure shone in Bloth's hand. Niddler had almost died in the attempt to retrieve it from the shrine in the Dragon's Maw.

“Let's talk business,” Tula said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show, Tula steals the gas-pistol from the gamehouse, and she later uses it to disable Zoolie and Ioz. Despite it being a cool weapon, I've decided to change this part for three reasons.
> 
> First reason: it seems unlikely that Tula would manage to hide the pistol in the little clothing she wears. 
> 
> Second reason: when Tula pulls the trigger and the little lizard emits the toxic gas, she covers her nose with a hand. Now let's be honest, if that's enough to avoid breathing in the poison (and I don't really think it is), why couldn't Ioz and Zoolie do the same? It doesn't really make any sense to me.
> 
> Third reason: in the first chapter of Dishonor, I had Tula threaten Ioz to poison him one day, I just had to let her do it at some point :) 
> 
> So, this is why in the end I've opted for Tula to sneak poison in the jar of ale. Faster and easier. It would be nice to know what you think about it! 
> 
> And that was it for Betrayal. The first chapter of Victory will be up on January 17!


	17. Victory (1 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief note: I decided to skip the scene of Konk, Ren and Niddler fleeing the Constrictus and fighting against it together. Originally, I wrote the story exactly as it unfolds in the show, but upon rereading, it felt like a long filler with no real purpose (if you think about it, nothing changes after that: Konk remains an enemy, the Constrictus still lives, and Konk doesn't even alert Bloth that Ren is aboard) so I just cut it and wrote a new scene. I hope you'll like it!

**Ren**

 

Never from the depth of the darkest abyss, Ren could have imagined what was unfolding in front of his eyes.

“At last!” Bloth thundered. “The First Treasure of Rule! You succeeded against Ren where my finest men failed!”

“Stow your compliments, Bloth!” Tula answered.

A traitor. Tula was nothing but a traitor. The pain throbbing in his chest was so strong Ren almost couldn't breathe.

“The Compass?” Bloth asked.

“I might have that too, and I might give it to you. First, let's-”

“The Dark Water!” a wheezing voice echoed from somewhere on the deck. “It has found us! The Dark Water is coming. It's coming!” Whoever had spoken sounded panicked and completely delirious.

There was a moment of silence before Bloth shouted out, “What do you say, lookout?”

“No Dark Water, Captain!” replied a distant voice from up high.

“I'm conducting business, Teron,” Bloth roared. “Hold off your warnings of the Dark Water until the very last possible moment!”

“Of course he can't see it,” the voice continued. “Only I have the visions.”

“I believe you were about to give me the Compass, my dear.” Bloth went on, addressing Tula.

“No Bloth,” she answered. “You were going to give me my gold.”

_Traitor._

“So Tula's been a treacherous thief all along!” spat Niddler.

Ren had to think. A thief she was. A traitor... That made no sense. “No, not Tula,” he said more to himself. “I won't believe it, Niddler!”

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Ioz. Ioz was after gold. Ioz had risked his own life for gold. Not Tula. Tula had stolen scrolls from King Obrik's palace. Scrolls.

_What were you hoping to find among those scrolls?_

Tula wasn't after gold, and Ren couldn't believe he hadn't pressed her for the truth when he still had a chance.

“The Treasure and Compass for one hundred pieces of gold,” Tula said to Bloth. “I'll take,” she paused. “Nuggets or drabulin bars.”

Niddler ruffled his feathers. “We should have never trusted Tula. She's from Andorus, you know!”

“Whatever her motive, we must stop her.”

There was not much Bloth could do with one Treasure, but Ren couldn't bring himself to think what would happen once Bloth would get hold of the Compass.

“Eighty-five pieces of gold and not a nugget more,” replied Bloth.

“Agreed,” Tula said. “Your Compass is stowed not far from here.”

_Your Compass._ It was Ren's Compass. Tula had vowed to stop the Dark Water, she'd taken his hand and proclaimed his quest was her quest. Ren shook his head again. No, that couldn't be. His memories went back to the Wraith's dining quarters. He remembered the sadness in her eyes. Was anything of what she'd said true?

“Oh, great deal maker and most merciful Bloth,” it was Konk speaking. “Perhaps now you'll release this insignificant flea of a servant.”

The next thing Ren heard was the piglet screaming.

“My bet on Konk still stands!” roared somebody above deck.

“Thirty gold pieces on Konk!” screamed another.

“Twelve on the Constrictus!”

“Twenty and a cup of red.”

“Ay jitata, forty on the beast.”

Ren didn't know how long it was before Niddler shook him. “Ren! We have to find a way out of here!”

“We cannot,” his voice sounded strangely empty. “Bloth has the Treasure and soon he'll have the Compass too. We have to steal them back.”

“How will we do it?”

_My king_. If she really had betrayed him, would Ren be able to punish her the way she deserved? He tasted bile in the back of his throat.

“Let's find Avagon.” Ren dropped down into the water.

“Back in the sewer ways?” Niddler squawked trying to keep his voice low.

The only answer Ren gave him was to strike the flint and light up the torch.

“Ren?!”

“You don't have to follow me, Niddler.”

Ren took his first step into the dark tunnel. He would it alone. Nobody would abandon him anymore.

The dirty water seeping through his clothes didn't feel like anything this time. One step after another Ren made his way back into the sewer ways. He paid no attention to the things crawling on the walls, he paid no attention to whatever floated on the water.

_Behold King Primus' son,_ a voice in his head mocked him. _Heir of Octopon, savior of the world and prince of the sewers._

The urge to retch was not entirely due to the putrid air this time.

Then a noise echoed from behind him. He turned, sword in hand.

“Ren?” Niddler peeped from the darkness.

Something shifted inside his chest. There was somebody in the world who would stay by his side.

“Here,” he said, his voice echoing through the tunnel _._ “Follow the light!”

The timid flapping of Niddler's wings drew near, but Ren did not believe his own ears until he saw him.

Niddler squawked in relief, his shoulders slumping a little. “Hear me out, Ren. This is the last time I travel through these jit-” Niddler's face grew wide in terror.

Ren watched as his beak opened in a silent scream. Niddler was staring at something, something behind... Ren turned just in time to slash at the beast, his sword smashing into something hard, and then cutting through the tender flesh.

The monster shrieked and the sound was so earsplitting Ren almost dropped his torch. It was the same monster he had bested not long before or the same kind of, he didn't know how many of those lurked in the sewer ways neither did he care. Ren would not give this one a chance of coming back.

He braced for a second attack, watching as the beast wriggled in the water, blood oozing from the wound. Ren didn't see its tail lashing at him from the side. First, it was a sharp sting, and then his whole arm was on fire.

Ren yelped in pain, but he gritted his teeth and launched himself at the monster. His sword came down once, twice, three times, four, he lost count.

“Ren!” somebody called his name. “Ren!”

His hand froze mid-air, something dark was dripping from the blade of his sword.

“Ren, stop! You killed it!” A squawk. “It's dead!” It was Niddler.

Ren looked down. The body of the beast floated half sinking on the dark water. He closed his eyes and breathed in. “Niddler,” he panted. “I need you to hold the torch.”

Niddler was quick to take the torch from his hand, and as soon as their only way out of the sewer ways was in safer hands Ren collapsed against the wall of the tunnel.

He was alive, but it felt like somebody had set his right arm on fire. He took a look at the wound. The skin around the sting was raw and swollen, the scorching pain radiated all over his arm and chest. It didn't take a healer to know he'd been stung with venom.

“Ren?” Niddler peeped, gaping at his arm. They had to get back to Avagon, and they had to do it fast.

“I'm well,” Ren said, straightening his back. “Let's move.”

At first, it was a light cold sweat on his forehead, then the cold drops started to drip down over his face. It was not long after that his whole body started to shiver from the cold.

How long would it take before they'd make it to the brig?

Ren pushed forward, staggering into the water. Then his legs started to shake so hard he couldn't take another step. He stopped, the clattering of his teeth was the only sound he could hear.

Was there even an antidote for that? How long did he still have?

_Behold prince Ren, son of Primus._ Dead in a sewer. If only Bloth knew. Ren almost laughed at that.

Niddler's squawk echoed through the tunnel, deafening.

Ren found himself leaning against the wall, he didn't know when he got there.

“Ren!” Niddler was beside him, the torch shining right in his eyes, blinding him.

“I'm...” his teeth chattered so hard it was hard to articulate the words. “So cold.”

“Ren, what's happening? Tell me what do I do?”

_Don't drop the torch_. Ren thought, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. The world went dark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Bloth**

 

 

In a moment the Compass would be his, but first Captain Bloth had matters to tend to.

He marched to the afterdeck stumping his feet against the deck all the way to the ecomancer's cell. There had been talking about a storm coming from the North, and Bloth didn't want any of that.

He looked through the bars. Teron had spread a layer of dirt all over his bunk and he was lying on it. It was the soil of Andorus, his homeland. Bloth wrinkled his nose at the sight of the roots sprouting from Teron's arms and legs. They buried deepinto the soil, feeding on it.

“Ecomancer!” Bloth called out.

Teron opened his eyes, they were glazed, unfocused _._

It was not a mystery to Bloth the ecomancer was growing weaker and weaker every day. He watched as the roots crawled back into Teron's body like snakes and the man struggled to sit straight.

“The Dark Water is coming!” he whimpered. The man had repeated that far too often in the past weeks. Bloth had started to fear than other than losing strength the ecomancer was also losing his mind. “Our world is dying!”

“How can I set sail when the seas are against me?” Bloth said as he turned the key into the lock. “Calm them!”

“Bloth, there are far greater problems to consider.”

Bloth's hand had already reached for his sword, but he was quick to remind himself he needed Teron alive. “You will do my bidding, now,” he growled.

“My meddling with nature is quickening the planet's demise.”

_Enough._

Bloth seized the ecomancer's arm. It felt as breakable as a withered branch, and it was hard to believe that a man with such powers could yet be so fragile.

He yanked him off the bunk. “Once I have the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, you can see to the planet's rebirth,” he said as he dragged Teron out of the cell. “Calm the seas or I will pitch your precious Andorus soil overboard.”

“And then I would surely die.”

“Then let me see the healing winds of an ecomancer.”

Bloth shouted for his men to take care of Teron and stumped back to his quarters.

The ecomancer was nothing but a withering plant and yet he had the gut to defy Bloth's orders. The only thing Bloth wanted to do was to throw him to the Constrictus, and yet that was the only thing he couldn't do. He needed Teron, and the rage was almost too much to bear. Nobody should have ever questioned his orders, that was a fact. Next time Bloth would throw part of Andorus' soil overboard to remind Teron who was in command.

Bloth yanked the door to his quarters open and stepped inside.

She stood there leaning against his table. As soon as she saw him she cocked her head to the side and her long black hair cascade over her shoulder, revealing a long, perfect neck, and for the life of him, Bloth couldn't remember why he'd been so furious just a moment before.

His eyes traveled from her beautiful face down to the very point of her feet.

Bloth had seen countless pretty girls around Mer, but the fairest of them could not compete against this girl's beauty. Everything about her was pure, breathtaking beauty, and unlike the other pretty girls, this one could stare straight at him, unflinching. She wasn't scared of him, and the fact aroused him.

He gulped. “I am honored to have you grace my quarters.”

“Compliment me in gold, Bloth.”

As greedy as she was beautiful.

“Ah yes, we said forty pieces, didn't we?” Bloth unsheathed his sword and placed it on top of the table to signal the beginning of the negotiation.

“Eighty-five,” she answered as she placed her own sword next to his.

“Of course, how forgetful of me.” Bloth reached for the pouch he kept inside his waistband and tossed it on the table. She eyed it eagerly.

“Your turn, my dear.”

The girl slid a hand inside her vest and Bloth got a glimpse of the curve of her breast. For a moment he lost touch with the world, then something gleamed in front of his face. A blue amulet dangled from her hand.

Bloth gulped. _The Compass._ The stone was still warm when he clutched it in his hand.

“So, it's done,” she said.

It was, but Bloth was not ready to let her go. “I cannot help but feel you know too much about me, and I know nothing about you, my dear,” he said.

The girl stood straight. She had the sinuous shape of an hourglass and Bloth did his very best to ignore the tension building in his groin.

“I'm Tula, once a tavern wench.”

Tula, that sounded sweet.

“How does a tavern wench get away with the Compass and the First Treasure of Rule?”

“I was tired of serving sea scum so one day I stowed away on a ship. Little did I know it belonged to the Son of Primus,” she turned her head to stare at an empty spot on the bulkhead. “I joined him on his quest and... You know the rest.”

“So you knew him?” Bloth was surprised.

Tula nodded.

“I've heard the boy's dead.”

“Killed during a slave revolt on Pandawa,” she paused. “He was too noble for his own good.”

There was a fondness in her voice she couldn't conceal. Bloth was no fool; a handsome prince and a beautiful girl sailing together, the outcome was so predictable. Except...

“And here you are now, betraying him. Selling away everything he died to protect.”

Tula's right hand raised to massage her neck as she opened her mouth to say something.

“No need to use that knife on me, my dear! It's not my intention to hurt you.” For the moment being at least.

Her eyes went round as her hand fell limp. Now that they were so close Bloth could see her eyes were green as emeralds. He liked that color.

“Are you aware of the power of what you're selling away for gold?”

She snorted. “Take a good look at me, Captain Bloth,” she said as she spread her arms.

Bloth did take a look at her. Now he couldn't ignore the tension in his groin, it itched even more at the thought of taking something else that had once belonged to the son of Primus.

_His Compass, his Treasures, his kingdom, his woman._

“Do you really believe I'm willing to give my life for Octopon, Captain?” she went on. “You got what you wanted. Give me my gold, and let me go my way.”

“I have a further proposition, Tula,” her name flowed over his tongue like honey. “Join me.”

At first, her mouth opened in surprise, and then slowly, her lips spread into a smirk. “Join you, captain Bloth?”

Some filthy thoughts tickled his mind as he looked at her pretty mouth. Bloth wondered whether the same thoughts had crossed Ren's mind too.

“And what would I get out of that?” she asked.

Bold girl. Greedy girl. She would stay by his side, willing or not. Although Bloth preferred not have her as a captive. “Power, gold. More gold than you could ever spend.” No, such beauty couldn't go to waste in the Kramadorm. “And who knows, if you please me enough, you might rise above the others. Second in command, perhaps?”

For a moment Tula chewed on her perfect lips.

“Interesting proposition,” she then said. “Gold,” she took a step forward. And then another. “Second in command,” she mused as she reached out. She traced the rim of his waistband with a finger and he forgot his own name.

“But first things first,” Tula turned abruptly. Bloth watched as she retrieved the pouch and her sword from the table. “I want to total up my compliments.”

“Do I detect a hint of mistrust in your voice? I like that in a woman.”

“How long do I have?” she sheathed her sword. Bloth longed to see her use it. He yearned for women who could fight.

“We'll sail before darkfall.” It was a lie, they were to weigh anchor at daybreak, but she didn't have to know. Tula would never leave the Maelstrom, but Bloth wanted her to still believe she had a choice, he wanted her to join him on her will.

“I'll be around.”

When Tula walked to the door a hint of her scent caressed his nose. It was the scent of salt and the scent of woman.

In the end, the Thirteen Treasures were not everything Bloth longed to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of Victory will be up on January 24.


	18. Victory (2 of 4)

**Ioz**

 

 

The pain throbbed inside his skull with the power of a seaquake, and Ioz considered the option of chopping his head off with his own sword. It could sink into the abyss for all he cared.

His head was not even the worst part, he realized. Everything else ached. His neck was stiff, his back was plagued with cramps and his arms and legs weren't doing any better.

But the pain was nothing. The pain would pass.

The thing Ioz couldn't stand was the scorching rage.

He'd been poisoned. Poisoned. Ioz had slipped into the darkness believing he was dying, the face of that traitor being the last thing he saw.

The poison didn't kill him though, and whether the treacherous snake had meant it or not, it was a mistake. Ioz would hunt her, find her, and kill her. She would be a long time dying, he would see to that personally.

How many times he'd told Ren not to trust that woman, and in the end, it figured Ioz had been right all along.

The rage and something akin to shame flared from deep inside at the thought that he had ended up trusting her too. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to outsmart him. And not just him, Zoolie as well. Zoolie. A man who had dealt with deceit his all life. Jitatin treacherous snake, Ioz would roll her head like a dice.

But first, he had to get up and make sure that Zoolie was alive too.

When Ioz tried to open his eyes the light blinded him. His aching head didn't take that well. He tried to curse out loud but his mouth refused to cooperate. It was completely dry and, for the first time, he realized how thirsty he was. Ioz was so thirsty he could have chugged down the twenty seas and still have space left for the rivers.

It took some time before he managed to gather the strength and willpower to haul himself up to a sitting position. It took another good amount of time before he felt brave enough to open his eyes.

“Noy jitat!” he rasped, not recognizing his own voice.

“Does your lady friend always poison new people she meets?” Zoolie mumbled.

Ioz looked across the room.

Zoolie was alive after all, he didn't look any good there laying against the bulkhead with his eyes swollen and skin that had turned from white to grey; and yet somehow, he still sounded amused. Zoolie found everything amusing, and Ioz wanted to punch him for that.

“I'll cut her hands and shove them down her throat,” Ioz grunted as he lifted himself up. It was a mistake, the room around him spun so hard he collapsed back on the floor. His head didn't like that.

“You were never the gentleman now, were you?”

“Shut that mouth, Zoolie!”

“And why did our lady spice the ale, I wonder?”

Ioz' heart missed a beat. His hand reached for his neck.

“Jit-”

He looked down to his belt where the pouch should have been secured.

“The Treasure and Compass, she stole them!” Not caring about the pain Ioz slammed a fist hard down on the table. “By the blood of Ren, I swear I'll make Tula pay for this! I'll chase that snake down across the twenty seas till I have her head!”

“So where exactly do you think we'll find our little prankster?”

That was a good question. Ioz didn't have a clue about what would Tula do with the loot.

“The dartha eel might still be in Janda Town.” That was unlikely but still possible. “I'm sure you know how to get the information we need, Zoolie.”

“You know well, my friend!” Bracing a hand against the bulkhead Zoolie hauled himself to his feet. He seemed to be faring so much better than Ioz. “Care to join?” he asked as he extended one hand for Ioz to grab.

“Lead the way.”

 

* * *

 

 

The sight of the Maelstrom anchored beyond the walls of Janda Town didn't surprise Ioz in the least. Finding out from one of the fishermen that they had indeed seen a beautiful dark-haired girl asking for a passage from his friend Shev, didn't surprise him either. Learning from Shev that the girl had asked him to carry her to the Maelstrom was oddly relieving.

Bloth. The crazy woman had brought the Treasure and Compass to Bloth.

For a moment the world went dark around him, could it be that she'd been working for Bloth all along? It was too much to take.

Ioz would make Tula pay for everything, that he could promise both himself and Ren. The thing he was not entirely sure he could do was forgiving himself. He didn't see how he could ever forgive himself for trusting her, how he could ever forgive himself for dropping his guard around her, how he could ever forgive himself for entertaining the thought of getting between her legs. That thought appalled him now.

“We'll get your pretty friend back, Ioz!” Zoolie said, ever the optimist.

At first, Ioz dismissed Zoolie's words, he didn't need encouragement, he needed to find Tula and knock her teeth out. But then he noticed. “We?!”

“I come with the package too!”

Ioz had not forgotten the nights aboard the Maelstrom when Zoolie would ramble on for hours about his future gamehouse. In the end, he had managed to get away from Bloth and make his big dream a reality. It was not often that scoundrels like Ioz and Zoolie could do anything that exemplary. And yet Zoolie had succeeded to build himself a good, fulfilling life.

“Slow it, Zoolie,” he said. “I won't have you risking your life for me!”

Zoolie snorted. “Who cares about you? I'm going after Mantus! He still owes me a gold piece from an old bet, I told you.”

There was a reason men like Ioz and Zoolie didn't live long enough to see their hair turn white. Zoolie didn't need that piece of gold, but he still craved for adventures. That too would never change.

“A silly excuse, Zoolie, but I'll take it!”

They had survived the Maelstrom once, they could make it out alive again.

 

* * *

 

**Ren**

 

 

Around him was a neverending, suffocating darkness. Ren started to run.

 _“Niddler!”_ he called out to his friend. “ _Ioz! Tula!”._ Nobody answered his call. So he kept on running without a clue of where he was going.

Then a voice whispered in his ear. “ _In darkness and light, this shall be your guide_.” Ren reached for the Compass. But the Compass wasn't around his neck anymore.

“ _Jenna!”_ He cried out, but silence was the only answer. Jenna wasn't there in that forsaken abyss.

What was the point in running if he couldn't see where he was going? What was the point in running if there was nothing left to run to?

Ren fell down on his knees.

 _“My son_.” A voice echoed in the hollowness around. Ren knew whom it belonged to.

“ _Father?”_

A glimpse of blue breached through the darkness. The flicker of color morphed into a man. He was tall and proud, a crown on his golden head.

“ _My son. It is not only Octopon that is nearly doomed, but our entire world as well. Thirteen Treasures of ancient time, thirteen lessons of rule in rhyme.”_

Something was wrong with his father, slowly he was turning into something bigger, uglier and way more threatening.

It was Bloth now standing in front of him. “ _But if they fall into evil hands, the Dark Water will descend on all lands.”_

Ren hauled himself to his feet, bracing to fight.

“ _You'll fail, boy.”_ Bloth raised one hand. It held the Compass.

Then a voice whispered behind him. “ _My king_.”

Ren turned. Tula smiled at him, then with a step, she closed the distance between them and kissed him.

A sharp pain burst into his gut. Ren watched, his mouth opened in a silent scream, as she removed the bloodied dagger.

“ _For some, even that is a small price_.”

Ren collapsed to the ground.

_You're worth your weight in minga melons._

_I only signed to this noble adventure for the treasure._

Ren's hands reached to his wound, the blood ran warm through his fingers.

_My choice is to stay alive._

_My king._

He was dying.

_Thirteen Treasures of ancient time._

_It's coming. The Dark Water is coming._

Ren screamed.

“Ren!” Niddler's squawk yanked him back from the darkness. Ren felt a hand on his forehead. “The fever's broken!”

“Niddler,” he whimpered. “What happened?” He opened his eyes and realized they were back in the Kramadorm.

“Avagon saved your life!” said Niddler.

“Saved my life?” but as he asked the question, the memories crashed upon him like a ton of bricks: the Kramadorm, Avagon, Bloth, Tula, the monster in the sewer ways.

Ren looked down at his right arm, everything that was left of the wound was a red scratch and a nasty bruise. Whatever Avagon had done to help him, it had worked.

“We can make our escape through the sewer ways,” a voice echoed around the Kramadorm. It was Avagon's. “If a boy and a monkeybird can do it, we can too.”

Ren struggled to sit straight, and Niddler hurried to help him.

“Why risk our lives for a legend and thirteen myths?” somebody said.

“We have no choice!” Avagon retorted.

She was standing on the platform where Ren had first seen her fight. The other prisoners had gathered around her.

“The Thirteen Treasures are no myth, you fool!” somebody else barked.

“No!” Ren shouted with the little energy he had left.

He struggled to his feet, his legs were weak and his whole body was still shaking from the cold. “This is my fight alone. You've all suffered enough.” Niddler held him up as he walked to the group of prisoners. “Escape while you can!"

“That's very noble of you, Ren,” Avagon answered. “But you will need more than just the blind courage of youth to succeed against Bloth. As for you?” she went back to address the prisoners. “Escape from here today and you may be safe. But there will come a tomorrow when Bloth has all the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, and no place will be safe. Our very planet might be destroyed.”

The prisoners mumbled something among themselves.

“Some of you were once part of Primus' crew. We followed him, we fought for him, we had faith in him. It's to you I'm talking now, is this what's left of Primus' proud people? Animals? Beasts? How many years are you still willing to spend in here? Our king's dead,” Ren could swear her voice slightly crackedat that. “His son is everything we've left. I'm going with the prince of Octopon and if I have to give my life for him, so be it.”

Avagon, surveyed the crow, slowly. “Always the quest!” she said before jumping down from the platform.

She approached Ren and placed a trembling hand on his shoulder. “I hope you're ready for another journey through the sewer ways, Ren.”

 _I'd sooner write Bloth a lovesong_. “I am,” he answered.

“Then let's move on.”

They were about to jump down into the sewer ways when somebody shouted. “Always the quest!”

Avagon froze.

“Always the quest!” echoed another voice.

It was not long before somebody stepped out of the group of prisoners. “Always the quest!” She was the woman who had prevented him from jumping over the platform to help Avagon.

“Always the quest!” another man joined her. And a moment later the whole Kramadorm was filled the with the screams of _always the quest_. Ren didn't know what that meant to his father's crew, but the force it carried was a living, palpable thing.

It was decided that what remained of Primus' crew would attempt the journey through the sewer ways and come back later to free the others. They were a small group of seven, but it was the smartest choice. They couldn't leave the Kramadorm empty after all.

For the third time, Ren found himself immersed in the sickening water. This time though he was not alone, his father's crew had taken position around him, shielding him from anything that might try to harm him. It was a comforting feeling, not being alone. Part of his own crew might have abandoned him, betrayed him, but there were still people who believed in him. People ready to give their life for him.

Once again Niddler perched on his shoulders. Ren was still rather dizzy and the added weight didn't help, but he clenched his teeth and kept moving forward. Niddler was the only one who'd never abandoned him, and this much Ren could do for him.

Nobody spoke during their walk in the tunnels, nobody dared.

“Don't make a sound unless necessary,” the man called Vendat had said. “They cannot see, but they hear. Be sure of that.”

Nobody had disobeyed. Not even Niddler.

Avagon and Vendat led the group. Ren saw them communicating through mouthed words and hand gestures.

It felt like they've been walking for days when Avagon and Vendat finally stopped, signed their conversation and then turned to face the small group.

“We'll take this exit, it'll lead us into the galley. We'll crawl through the Maelstrom, kill everyone on our way and go to free the others,” she then turned to face Ren. “Listen carefully, prince Ren, you'll go ahead from here,” she gestured at a tunnel on the left. “According to Vendat it leads the way to the afterdeck. You know how to hide? You'd better. Stay there, inside the sewer, get out of the water, but don't climb above deck. You should be safe enough.”

“Hide?” Ren couldn't believe Avagon really expected him to stay hidden in the sewer like a rat.

“Don't shout, boy.”

“How can I go and hide while you're risking everything for me?”

“That's very noble of you, prince Ren,” Vendat said. “Please, understand that we can't lose you. Octopon can't lose you. Your life comes first, so let us go ahead. We'll free the others and attack at darkfall. If darkfall comes and there's still not a sign of us, stay hidden until deep into the night and then tell the monkeybird to fly you away.”

Ren looked at Avagon her face still as stone.

“Please, don't make me do it.”

“You asking me please? A prince doesn't beg, a prince commands. And a prince also knows how to take the right choices. Do as you will, prince Ren, we are nothing but your subjects.”

For a moment Ren considered challenging her and announce that he would go ahead with them.

“I'll go my way.”

Avagon closed her eyes and nodded. “Be safe, Ren,” she said before moving ahead in the opposite tunnel.

Ren watched as they went, seven people. Everything that remained of his father's crew. Seven strangers that had been captured together with his father, seven strangers who had come to love his father so much to now risk everything for his son.

“Let's move on, Niddler,” he said.

Vendat was right, it didn't take long before he saw a light above the tunnel.

The rusty grate squeaked and crashed noisily over the deck when he opened it. Ren should have been more careful but he was too eager to feel the sun on his skin.

Avagon would not allow him to take part in the fighting, but she couldn't force him to stay buried in the sewer. Ren knew it was reckless, he was well aware that if he got caught Avagon and the others would have risked everything for nothing, but he swore he wouldn't make a sound.

The air carried the scent of salt, fish and stale ale. It was blissful.

“I never thought salt sea air could smell so sweet!” he said, bathing in the light of the day.

They had ended up on the afterdeck of the Maelstrom, Vendat had been right. Kunda was on their side for nobody was in sight and a group of barrels had been placed in front of the grate making for the perfect hiding spot. Ren sneaked behind them and Niddler followed.

“Oh, I just knew I should have gone with Avagon and the other below decks!” he peeped. “I could be raiding the galley at this very moment!”

“Hush, Niddler!” Ren clasped Niddler's beak as he saw a figure appearing on the afterdeck.

He crouched low behind the barrels, counted to ten and then braved a look from his hiding spot. His heart jumped into his throat when he saw her. “Tula,” he heard himself say.

“Better yet, pickled goyja!” answered Niddler as he sniffed at one of the barrels.

Ren watched as Tula padded across the afterdeck and tried the handle of one door. It opened, Tula peeped inside and then closed it. She tried another door and then another. It was evident she was searching for something and Ren wasn't entirely sure he was breathing.

Then Tula noticed another door, the opening sealed with bars on the top marked it as a cell. She approached it and looked inside.

Ren saw her grasp the bars.

“Teron!” she called out.

“Go away, I'm still feeding,” answered a voice from inside. Ren had already heard that sound somewhere.

“Teron,” Tula said. “Don't you recognize a friend anymore?”

“It cannot be! Tula of Andorus!”

“Teron, I've been sent to rescue you!”

Ren held his breath as Tula kept on speaking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Better yet, pickled goyja!” Find someone who looks at you the way Niddler looks at his food! :P 
> 
> The third chapter of Victory will be up on January 31. We'll finally get the first big reunion :)


	19. Victory (3 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said that Andorians speak their own language in this story? (If not you'll find my note about it at the end of chapter 9)  
> The thing carried me a little away and I've ended up creating some basic vocabulary and phrases. You'll find more Andorian in future chapters. What can I say, I love Linguistics and I love worldbuilding :)
> 
> Overall, I'm not particularly satisfied with this chapter. As I've already stated in a previous note, I love telling the story from Tula's and Bloth's point of view, but they are really challenging to write. Probably I should do myself a favor and stop including them in the same chapter, but oh well... 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this update even though it isn't one of the best, and please, feel free to leave me a feedback!
> 
> WARNING!: the chapter contains violence.

**Tula**

 

The Maelstrom was a nightmare brought to life.

Tula had never thought a ship that huge and horrific could exist, and yet there she was, walking freely across the deck, eighty-five pieces of gold richer. That and the offer of becoming the next second in command.

A lie.

A liar could recognize a liar, and Tula hadn't believed for one second Bloth's offer was real. It was the way his voice had dropped to nothing but a predatory growl, it was the lust she saw burning in his eye.

The tales were true. Bloth was a frightening man who captained a ship that was nothing but a reflection of himself. Massive, powerful, lethal. That was the same man who had burned Octopon to the ground.

Tula still couldn't believe how easy it had been to seduce him. Too easy for her liking, Bloth was sure smarter than that, and as she headed to the afterdeck, she couldn't help but wonder if he had really believed her story. The story of Tula the traitor, the one who had betrayed the prince of Octopon for eighty-five pieces of gold. The thought made her stomach churn.

Tula dug her nails into her palms until the pain cleared her mind. She had a mission to accomplish and she had to stay focused, or everything would have been for nothing.

The Maelstrom had a dungeon, that much she knew. That was the place she had planned to look for at first, but traitor or not, Kunda had been on her side. Teron had screamed while she was bargaining with Bloth, and she had almost fainted for the relief at the sound of his voice.

She had watched as Bloth's men dragged Teron back somewhere in the afterdeck.

There were several doors on that side of the Maelstrom, and luckily not a man in sight. She padded to the first one and opened it enough to peer inside. There was nothing more than a heap of tangled ropes and nets. The second door led her to an empty compartment, and she was about to go for the third one when her eyes fell on what looked like a cell.

Tula cursed herself for not noticing it before. Slowly she padded to it and took a look inside.

Teron lay on a bunk scattered over with dirt, the roots sprouting from his arms and legs were feeding on it. Tula knew that, so far from Andorus, that soil was everything keeping Teron alive.

“Teron?” her voice wavered.

“Go away, I'm still feeding.”

“Teron. Don't you recognize a friend anymore?”

She could see the shock crashing upon him. His eyes were suddenly on her, wide open and bewildered.

“It can't be,” he sounded breathless. “Tula of Andorus!”

The roots slid back into his body and Teron trudged to the door. He looked so weak Tula feared he would tumble on the floor if she so much blew in his direction.

Teron had been a tall and strong man once, but now his body was curved under the weight of both years and hardship. His hair though was still the bright, warm shade of the sky at sunset.

“Tula,” he said her name again as he coiled his fingers around the bars.

That was enough to bring her walls crashing down. Everything she wanted to say poured from her mouth at once.

“Teron, I've been sent to rescue you. I'm here. I found you. Since your capture, Andorus has suffered much decay. Daron sent me. The others stayed behind. I came to rescue you. I knew Bloth had you. I knew it. The river Teron, the Randor, you must save it. I need to get you out of here, Teron. There's no time to waste. The river, you need to save the river.”

“Escape is futile. I can't leave my-”

“But I must free you!” she almost shouted in his face. “You are our only hope!” Tula realized she was scratching at the door.

“My child,” Teron whimpered and then hesitated. He inhaled a deep, long breath and reached out through the bars to cup her cheek in his hand. There was something terrifying in the sorrow painted all over his face.

“For weeks, I have mourned for Andorus, because it has been destroyed by the Dark Water.”

“No!” a wave of dizziness crashed upon her, and Tula had to lean on the door between them. “No!”

“My child-”

“How can you know that?” her legs were shaking.

Teron's eyes bore into hers. He didn't have to answer that question, Teron was one with Andorus. She knew he was right.

_Destroyed by the Dark Water._

_Destroyed._

“Where are the others?” her chest ached so much she wanted to scream.

“That is beyond my knowledge.”

“I must get you out of here. You're the only one who can help us!”

Tula would get him out, willing or not.

“My child, look at me,” the sudden softness in Teron's voice horrified her. “It's too late.”

Tula shook her head as she fought against the tears threatening to fall. “It cannot be, Teron. After all that I've done,” her voice cracked.“The friends I've injured.” _I should have stayed by his side_. “I betrayed Ren and Ioz for nothing!”

A flicker of surprise crossed Teron's face. “I have heard of this Ren. Bloth curses him daily.”

What was the point of fighting against it? Tula let the tears spill down her cheeks. “Together we sought the Thirteen Treasures of Rule.”

_East for adventures._

Teron closed his eyes and he shook his head. “Tula, dar shiva.”

She had wandered so far from Andorus, for so long that she had forgotten to speak her own language to Teron. _Dar shiva_ , my child, hearing those words cut deeper than any blade ever would.

Tula had failed them. She had failed her people as much as she had failed Ren.

“We'll go back again,” she whimpered.

The Merians said Andorian sounded like the hissing of a snake. It felt so warm and sweet on her tongue, and yet so foreign. The shame burned deep within her chest.

“Foolish girl, it's not me you need, is this Ren! Mark my words, stay with Ren and help him save our planet!”

_What have I done?_

Nobody had ever seen Tula cry, but at this point, her dignity was far gone.

“You're an ecomancer, Teron,” she sobbed.

“I am. A lowly ecomancer who can only slow the sickness of our planet. But with the Thirteen Treasures, the whole of Mer can be saved from the slow death of Dark Water.” His eyes latched onto the horizon. She knew Teron could sense things other people could not. “Hurry, it is approaching!”

Enough. They had talked enough. Maybe Teron was right, maybe there was no hope for Andorus anymore. But they had trusted her with a mission, and she would see it through.

The door was locked. Nobody had ever taught her how to pick a lock.

_Who do I need to kill to get the keys?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump followed by the grating sound of something big and heavy rolling on the deck. And suddenly her sword was in her hand. No more crying, no more despairing. Tula was alert and ready to fight.

It didn't take long to identify the source of the noise. One of the barrels that stood on the deck had been knocked down, Tula could see and smell the salted fish scattered over the deck. There was no one in sight, which meant that whoever had knocked over the barrel was not looking for a fight. Good, eavesdropping spiders were easy to kill.

Tula took a step forward, silent as a leaf, eyes trained on the group of barrels. Another step. She would deliver a neat, clean cut at the eavesdropper's throat before he'd had any time to utter a single word. Then she would drop the body overboard.

Tula inched forward, her muscles tense.

 _Breathe, focus_.

The world around her slowly faded into darkness. It was just her, the enemy and the impending fight.

She was close now, one more step and she would swing her sword.

_Stay focused._

Tula heard a sound coming from behind the barrels, something shifting. She wouldn't give the spider the time to brace for the fight.

She charged.

Somehow, she managed to stop the blade an inch from his throat.

_It cannot be._

“Ren?” Tula didn't feel the sword slip from her hand, but she heard the clang it made when it hit the deck. 

Slowly, almost cautiously he stood up from the deck, eyes trained on her. There was something terribly wrong with the way he looked at her. Was that rage? Was that longing?

“You're alive,” Tula said. It was meant to be a question, but it poured out of her mouth almost like a plea.

Something shifted in his eyes and Ren nodded.

Tula lost control. One moment she was like paralyzed, the shock almost too much to bear, the next she had her arms around him, hugging him with all the strength she could muster.

For a painful moment Ren remained stiff, but then he reciprocated the hug with as much force.

“You're alive,” she whispered into his chest over and over again.

“True,” he finally said caressing the back of her head. "Although I may not smell like it."

At the sound of his voice, something settled in her chest. Something akin to peace.

Tula raised her head and cupped his face in her hands. That was not a trick of her mind. She could see him, hear him, feel him. “What happened to you?”

Ren opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment the sound of somebody munching caught their attention.

Tula looked down. “Niddler!” she cried out, and a moment later she was hugging him as well.

Like Ren, Niddler reeked of fish combined with a foul stench of decay, but she wrapped her arms around his damp feathers and squeezed him all the same. Niddler let out a startled squawk before shyly patting her on the shoulder.

Tula scratched his head and stood back up, eyes sliding on Ren.

He was real, she wasn't dreaming, he was real. 

“Ren, I... I'll tell you everything this time.” _Stay focused._ “But first follow me.” She took his hand and led him to the cell. He followed her without saying a word.

Teron still stood gripping at the bars, watching.

“Teron,” she said, her heart slamming in her chest. “This is Ren.” She noticed a small goyja stuck in his hair and removed it. “Saviour of Mer!”

For the first time, she saw Teron truly smile. “At last, prince Ren.”

“We'll get you out of here!” Ren said as he yanked at the bars.

“Quiet!” Teron warned. “You'll alert Bloth's men!”

“But we must release you! Any minute now, fighting will break out.”

“Fighting?” Tula asked.

“I'll gladly tell you everything once we're back on the Wraith. For now, I must steal back the Compass and Treasure from Bloth!”

So he knew. Tula supposed he might also know how Bloth got them in the first place. The shame was almost too much to bear, but she would repair her mistakes. She would not fail him this time.

“You know, I have an easier way to get to him!” she said. “If I can stomach it.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Bloth**

 

 

The door squeaked when Mantus opened it and closed it behind him. “You summoned me, my lord?”

The first Treasure of Rule sat in Bloth's hand, heavy and cold. Not the harsh, biting chill of the northern winds, but the gentle, soothing cold of the water of a river washing away the sweat and dirt. Bloth brushed a finger across it. He felt at peace.

“The Compass points to Bentar. Set sail and stay the course.”

“Bentar,” Mantus hesitated. “It's North, my lord.”

“Is it now?” Bloth placed the Treasure down on the table and looked at his second in command.

“There are sightings of the Dark Water up north,” Mantus explained.

Bloth chuckled. “Is that fear in your voice, Mantus? With this,” he gestured at the First Treasure. “I can keep it away from the Maelstrom. And once I have all the Thirteen Treasures, I will control all the Dark Water on Mer. The Compass points to Bentar, stay the course, or I'll find somebody who will.”

“As you say, my lord.” Mantus lowered his eyes and started toward the door.

“What about Tula?” Bloth asked.

A flicker of confusion crossed Mantus' face. “Apologies, my lord. Who?”

“The girl.”

“Still on board.”

“Very well, before you-”

The door burst open and a man barged into the room.

“Permission to come aboard, Bloth!” he said as he aimed his dragon bow at Bloth.

Ten years had passed, but a quick glance was everything Bloth needed to recognize Ioz. The scum had turned from a boy into a man, but his face hadn't changed much; even his hair was styled in the same ridiculousway, with that lock left to wriggle over his forehead like a worm. With the years Ioz had become big as an ox, Bloth was still sure that despite everything he would make a good shipmate. It was a shame Bloth had to kill him now. 

“You!” Bloth reached for his sword.

The dart shot through the air and Bloth bellowed more out of rage than pain when it buried deep into his arm.

“Yes, me!” snarled Ioz, nocking another dart. “But enough small talk. Hand the Treasure over or you're dagron bait.”

There was a sound akin to a hiss and Mantus lunged, weapons in hand. Ioz had time to shoot another dart that missed Bloth by several inches before dropping the dragon bow to the floor.

Mantus' short swords danced and swished in the air at a speed that Bloth could hardly keep track of. More than once Ioz tried to reach for his own sword, but Mantus didn't give him time to. All that Ioz could do was dodge and step back.

Bloth knew Mantus was just toying with him, waiting for the order to finish him. But Bloth wouldn't give that order. Ioz was his for the kill.

Bloth clenched his teeth and yanked the dart from his arm. Now he did feel the pain, and Ioz would not be happy about it.

“How is it that Ioz gets to enjoy all the fun while I'm not even working up a sweat?”

A second man entered the room, and there was no mistaking his read, frizzy hair and the rollicking way he spoke.

“You should be burning in hell!” snapped Mantus, Ioz suddenly forgotten.

“Ay, and you should hand me my gold!” countered Zoolie.

“Try and collect it!”

Before Mantus could lash at him, Zoolie sneaked out like the rat he was.Mantus, the barnacle-brained, ran after him.

Zoolie was nothing but an insignificant gnat. Bloth had what he wanted.

Ioz was still panting with exhaustion from the previous fight, and he was unprepared when Bloth charged at him. The fool tried to reach for his sword but he was not fast enough. To his credit, Ioz managed to dodge the punch aimed at his face, but he didn't move away in time when Bloth used the same dart Ioz had shot at him and dived it into his shoulder. Ioz grunted, and for a fraction of a heartbeat dropped his guard. That was enough for Bloth to deliver a punch. This tie his fist connected with Ioz' face and he crashed down to the floor, blood oozing from his nose and broken lip. Bloth allowed himself a moment to drink in the delightful sightbefore he delivered a solid kick to his stomach.

Ioz gurgled from the shock of the hit and doubled over.Again his hand tried to reach for his sword and Bloth squashed it under his foot. Ioz screamed. 

Bloth coiled his hands around his neck and yanked him up. He slammed him hard against the bulkhead, once, twice. Ioz collapsed to the floor and Bloth crouched down next to him.

“I want you to start thinking about your father, Ioz.” He seized the hilt of Ioz' sword and unsheathed it. It was a fine weapon; Bloth tossed it across the room. They didn't need weapons, weapons could kill and he wanted to take his sweet time with Ioz. “Before I'm done with you, you'll curse him for giving you life.”

Ioz' had the gut of glaring at him as he spat a lump of blood at his feet.

Bloth took a deep, settling breath. Then he punched Ioz in the gut with a force that let his own wrist sore.

 

* * *

 

 

When Mantus returned hissing that Zoolie had managed to escape thanks to one of his old foul tricks, Bloth was too busy relishing his own victory to care. Zoolie would pay for his actions eventually, but Ioz was everything Bloth wanted.

In the end, Bloth had to summon all of his willpower to stop himself from beating him to a pulp. He couldn't kill him like that. No, Bloth would take his time with Ioz. Bloth was determined to hear him beg for death.

“Let the fool go. I have everything I want now. Weigh anchor.”

“As you wish, Bloth,” Mantus spat. His second in command was still pestered about Zoolie's escape, Bloth could see.

“Get somebody to tie this barnacle to the mast, I'm not done with him yet.”

As ever Mantus was quick to comply. It was not long before three of Bloth's men came into the room to collect Ioz from the floor. He was barely conscious and not fit enough to struggle. 

The men had gathered above deck, drawn by the commotion. Some of them cursed when they recognized the long-lost shipmate. Some of them spat at him.

It didn't take long for Ioz to come around, but Bloth wouldn't have minded waiting. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he felt good.

He watched, as Ioz struggled to open his left eye which was already swelling, his broken lips slowly curled into a grin. Spiteful, as ever.

Bloth smiled back. “Enjoy the view while you can, Ioz. The razor beaks take flight at nightfall, that's when they feed.”

Ioz spat a lump of blood at him.

Bloth had his fist raised in the air when a voice echoed across the deck. “Captain Bloth!”

He turned and saw Tula walking towards him. He could have her after killing Ioz.

“Apologies for... Interrupting.” Tula's eyes lingered on Ioz. Her former shipmate, Bloth realized, one of the men she had betrayed. Bloth wondered if Tula liked what she saw.

“I've considered your offer,” she said.

Not the best timing, but Bloth felt so good he was willing to listen to her.

Her eyes slid from his face down to his chest and back up before she crossed the distance between them. “We might make a good team after all!” she reached out and brushed a finger across his chest.

Yes, Bloth would take her after killing Ioz. They would hear her scream his name across the twenty seas.

“Traitor.”

Slowly, Bloth turned to Ioz.

His head hung limp against his chest.

“Did you say something, Ioz?” Bloth asked.

“I,” Ioz coughed, spitting more blood over himself. “Said,” he raised his head, there a was mad fury burning in his eyes. Too late Bloth noticed the rope coiled around him was loose. The realization hit him like a lightning bolt; they hadn't searched Ioz for hidden weapons.

“Traitor!” Ioz hollered before lunging at Tula.

Bloth's hand went for his sword but before he had time to unsheathe the weapon, hell had broken loose on the Maelstrom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of Victory will be up on February 7.


	20. Victory (4 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter of Victory! Our heroes have already been through a lot and – as you know – there are still plenty of adventures to come. 
> 
> Shippers out there, I can promise you that after this chapter there'll be more Ren/Tula related scenes. So, stay tuned! :)
> 
> WARNING! This chapter contains fighting and violence.

**Ren**

 

 

Ioz was unconscious when two men dragged him across the deck, arms slung over their shoulders and feet trailing limply behind. It was not before they tied him to the mast that Ren noticed the blood smeared all over his face.

Niddler grabbed his arm and clenched it. Their eyes met, and he shook his little red head, a plea on his face.

Ren opened his mouth to protest before he realized that Niddler was right. He had to stay put or their whole plan would burn to ashes.

Avagon and the rest of his father's crew had survived the journey through the sewer ways, managing to sneak across the Maelstrom to free the other prisoners. Avagon had sworn the brigmaster's body was floating somewhere in the sewer.

They all hid now inside the dark and cramped space of a storage room,the fissuresin the door big enough for him to see what was happening on deck.

The other prisoners had little by little mingled with the rest of the crew aboard, and Ren couldn't tell anymore who was part of Bloth's crew and who was part of the rebels. He hoped the prisoners knew better than him, for once Avagon would give the command to attack, they couldn't afford to have their own men fighting each other.

Ren watched as Bloth paced across the deck, heading towards Ioz. The wave of rage crashing upon him at the sight of the smirk on Bloth's ugly face was almost too much to bear. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused his thoughts elsewhere.

Tula had a lot of explaining to do, but she hadn't betrayed him.

Niddler had knocked off the barrel as he tried to get to the fish stored inside, alerting her. Panic had rushed through him at the sight of Tula approaching them, sword in hand. Nothing of that had mattered. A moment later she was in his arms, and everything he'd been through had felt like a distant nightmare. It was over.

They had to go their separate ways. Her plan was to lure Bloth back to his quarters, where she would get the Compass and Treasure back. Ren didn't want to think too much about the how or the risks involved. Tula had sounded confident, so he made the decision to trust her. Again.

“We can only wait few minutes for the girl's plan to work!” Avagon interrupted his musing. Her body was pressed hard against his in the cramped space of the storage room, she was still and poised for attack.Ren envied her calm.

“Ren,” Niddler hesitated before he went on. “What if Tula has betray-”

“Stop that, Niddler!” he cut him off. “She is on our side. You've heard her yourself.”

Avagon let out a grunting noise, but before Ren could add anything Tula appeared on the deck.

“Captain Bloth!” she called out, her voice filled with delight.

Bloth's attention was soon entirely on her, that horrid smirk washing away from his face replaced by something else Ren didn't like.

He watched as Tula wentforth, smiled at him and reached out to touch his chest.

That was the moment somebody spoke. “Traitor.”

Bloth turned back to glare at Ioz, and in a matter of second Ioz broke free from the ties and lunged at Tula.

Everything else happened so fast.

“Now!” shouted Avagon, and at the order the Octoponians attacked, swords and axes in hand, a battle cry on their lips.

At that, the other prisoners who had mingled on the deck wielded their weapons, and it was not long before the whole deck turned into a battlefield.

In the safety of his hiding place, Ren clenched his hands into fists and tried his best to ignore the tormenting sense of helplessness. Avagon had restated that Octopon could not lose him, and he would stay hidden throughout the fight whether he liked it or not. With the blessing of Kunda, Bloth would be dead before darkfall. If not, Ren was to wait for the fighting to die down and the night to come. Only then he was to order Niddler to fly him away with the favor of the darkness.

Ren could see the reason behind that, but it was hard to bring himself to accept it.

He saw blades dancing and gleaming in the sun, he heard the grunts, the screams, he saw the blood. Some were dropping dead, others were thrown overboard. Ren didn't miss the moment when an ax caught one of his father's men in his head.

All of this to give him a chance to survive, a chance to see Primus' quest complete. Was that what being a kinginvolved? Sit down and watch people die for you?

Hiding like a rat as people gave their life for him was torture, and yet he couldn't stop looking.

He watched Avagon cutting through men twice her size like they were nothing but puppets, he saw Vendat parrying and striking. And then, in the commotion, he saw them. His shipmates.

It was painfully evident Ioz was weak and still unsteady, but he lashed his dagger at Tula with a mad rage that made Ren's blood freeze in his veins.

Tula restricted herself to parrying and dodging. She could kill Ioz if she really wanted to, Ren knew it. He also knew damn well that if he died, everything would have been for nothing. But the friends who had risked their lives in order to take on his quests were fighting against each other, and he was past hearing any reason.

He barely heard Niddler screech something as he dashed out of their hiding place.

“Ren gave his life!” He heard Ioz snarl, panting from the effort. “And you betrayed us, both. Snake!” Ioz staggered from the force of his own blows but quickly regained his balance. “Treacherous snake!” He lashed again. “You dartha eel!”

“You're the one acting like a dartha eel!” Ren cried out.

Ioz' dagger clanged against Tula's sword one last time. Slowly, his chest bobbing up and down, he turned.

A deep ache set in Ren's chest at the sight of Ioz' battered face.

“Panja nija!” Ioz gaped at him. “How can this be?”

Despite the hell around them, Ren smiled, “Surprise.”

“Ren!” Ioz cried out, staring at him in shock before he crossed the distance between them and threw his arms around him. “By the two moons, Ren!”

“I'll tell you all about it, Ioz.”

“Very touching guys, but we have some fighting to do,” Tula had appeared at their side. “I'll get Teron,” her eyes locked on his. “You try not to die.”

He watched her dart away towards the afterdeck, something loosening in his chest.

“Ren,” Ioz said. “I don't know what-” he stopped mid-sentence, shifted the dagger in his hand and lunged.

The fight lasted less than a minute before the man dropped down dead, and Ioz took his sword. “Stay close to me!” he ordered before plunging into a fight with a second man.

For the first time that day, Ren obeyed. He stayed close to Ioz, the feeling of helplessness once again burning inside his chest. He knew he was not the best sword fighter on board. If he could only put his hands on a bow and some arrows...

His eyes flickered across the deck in the hope to find one he could snatch. That was the moment he spotted the figure of a man towering above the others. Bloth.

Of course, Bloth had joined the fight, nobody would ever order him to stay hidden while his crew died for him.

Ren saw him swing his big sword and missing Avagon by less than an inch. It didn't surprise him that among the rebels, Avagon was the one facing Bloth.

It was just a moment. Bloth dodged a strike coming from the left, and when he moved out of the way a sunray shone straight into Avagon's eyes. It was all the distraction Bloth needed. He lashed at her, and even though Avagon moved in time to avoid a fatal hit, the blade caught her arm, slicing through the flesh.

_I'm going with the prince of Octopon and if I have to give my life for him, so be it._

Avagon had known what was the risk and still, she had been willing to sacrifice her life in order to give him a chance to escape. She lost her weapon, and Ren couldn't do anything as Bloth raised his knee. When his foot connected with her chest, Avagon staggered backward and fell over the rail. 

She was the one who had followed his father across the twenty seas to gather the Thirteen Treasures of Rule. She was the woman who had stayed by the king's side, in the good and the bad times. Ren had to help her.

 “Avagon!” he screamed and before he could realize what he was doing, he found himself sprinting towards the rail.

She was still alive and floating on the water, but Ren didn't have enough time to figure out a way to get her back on board when he saw the black bubbles rising behind her.

“Avagon!” he bellowed.

To her credit, not even in her last moments her face gave away any sign of fear. She looked up just once, as the Dark Water pooled around her. Their eyes met.

“Always the quest, Ren!” she screamed before the Dark Water coiled around her and dragged her down.

“Ren? Alive?” somebody cried out behind him.

Ren recognized that voice and instinctively his hand went for his sword. Not fast enough.

Bloth gripped his wrist and twisted it. A jolt of pain shot through his arm, and Ren screamed.

“It's over, boy!” Bloth snarled, raising the sword high above his head.

Something slammed into the hull, and the Maelstrom jolted to her side. Bloth lost footingand stumbled over the rail. His hand was still clutched around Ren's wrist when he fell overboard. For a moment Ren's fingers brushed across the railing, desperately searching for a grip, but he wasn't quick enough. He was dragged down into the sea. 

Once the water had swallowed him up, Ren kicked hard, pushing his way back to the surface. As he took in a lungful of air, he realized Bloth was bobbing on the water a few feet away from him.

Bloth let out a growl and, faster than any man his size had the right to be, he lunged. He slammed a hand down on him, using his entire weight to keep Ren's head under the water. As much as Ren fought against him, there was not much he could do to overpower him.

Until suddenly Bloth let go of him.

Ren emerged from the water, gasping for air.

“Blast my soul,” he heard Bloth whimper and, despite his own impending death, Ren relished the sight of his fear. 

He didn't have to turn around to know the Dark Water was close. He could sense it and see it in Bloth's petrified face.

A grapnel rained down from the Maelstrom and splashed into the water not far from them. Bloth's men were leaning over the railing, shouting at their captain to grab it and hold on.

Bloth didn't have to hear it twice, he seized the rope and let his crew lift him out of the water.

Left alone, Ren turned to face the Dark Water.

The dark, sickening substance inched forward, skidding on the surface of the sea. It was useless to flee. Ren would not scream, he would not falter.

But at that moment, a shadow skimmedover the water, and when Ren saw the Wraith approaching, the tears welled in his eyes.

Again, they had come back for him. That was enough to sparkle a flare of hope to which his whole body responded. Ren started to swim.

He didn't make it far before something coiled around his ankle and tug. It was scorching hot. 

“No!” he bellowed, kicking as hard as he could. The Dark Water crawled up around his legs in response.

The Wraith loomed above him now, so close, but it didn't matter. That was the end.

“Ren, hold on!” Ioz shouted.

It was not until the Dark Water crept all the way to his waist that Ren felt it retreat, but it didn't give up, instead it tugged harder, dragging him down.

“Closer!” he heard Tula scream, as he tried to wriggle free. “Zoolie, closer!”

Ren had one last thing to do before dying. He reached into his pouch and, after grabbing the Second Treasure, he raised it above his head.

“Save the Second Treasure!” he screamed as loud as he could.

Faster than it had been before, the Dark Water crawled up to his chest. It squeezed hard around it, smothering him. No water should have burned that much.

“No, Ren!” a scream came from the Wraith. “Plunge it into the Dark Water!” That trembling voice, Ren recognized it.

No, there was no time, he had to save the Treasure or the whole planet would die after him.

“Trust me!” the man shouted again.

The Dark Water dragged him down, and Ren buried his hand holding the Treasure deep into it.

At first, there was a deafening screech, then a dark smoke rose from the water blinding his eyes. Ren broke into a coughing fit as he felt himself going down into the sea, taking one last breath before the water closed above his head.

It was when his lungs started to scream for air that an instinct made him kick his legs. Ren opened his eyes in shock when he realized he could move them. A blue sea surrounded him. He raised his head towards the surface of the water and caught a glimpse of the clear, blue sky.

With even strokes, he swam towards the surface.

The first breath felt like heaven, and Ren found himself laughing. It was a hysterical and hitched sound. He spun around and took a look at the blue sea. No Dark Water in sight.

It had worked, the Treasure had vanquished the Dark Water, and Ren was safe.

Something splashed into the water close to him, a rope. He grabbed it and let Ioz lift him aboard.

Once Ioz reached for his hand and dragged him on the deck, Ren let himself fall down. There wasn't a single part of him that didn't ache, and yet he felt in heaven.

Then Tula was on him, throwing her arms around his neck, and Niddler too joined, fluttering his beautiful wings.

“What did I tell you?” Tula cupped his face in her hands. “Try not to die!” she spat every word at him, but the relief on her face was apparent.

“I tried,” he said, panting. Then he remembered. “To the Maelstrom!” Shouting hurt his throat.

Tula and Niddler let go of him as he shot to his feet. “I must steal back the Compass and Treasure!”

Ioz laughed. “Are these what you're talking about?”

When Ren saw the object Ioz produced from his pocket, he almost fainted for the relief.

“And I don't know about you, Ren, but I wouldn't want to be on the Maelstrom right now!” 

That was the moment Ren looked in the direction of the Maelstrom. He felt his jaw drop; the deck of the ship was on fire.

“How-” he stuttered. “How you-”

“Like the good old times, right Zoolie?” Ioz asked, turning to look at the helm.

Nobody was there.

“Zoolie?!” Ioz hollered. “Zoolie!”

Laughter echoed from the sea. They all turned and saw a little boat. Two men were rowing, heading towards the city.

“Sorry Ioz!” said one of them, his curly locks of red hair tied on top of his head. “But I got what I came for. And besides, I have a gamehouse to keep out of debt! Good fortune to you all!” He waved his hand in salutation.

Tula responded to the gesture, a smile on her face, while Ioz just cursed out loud.

“Who was that man, Ioz?” Ren asked.

“I'll tell you everything about that barnacle, but now, if we are to outrun Bloth, we must set course!” Ioz handed him the Compass, and for the first time, Ren noticed how much he'd missed it. He raised it up above his head, and the blue beam cut through the air in response.

“There, toward the rising moons,” he said.

“But there's a storm on that course!” Tula noticed.

“Ay, if I were a betting man, I'd say that's Dark Water on that horizon,” said Ioz.

“So be it,” Ren answered as he secured the Compass around his neck. “For the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, and for Mer, my destiny alone is to conquer the Dark Water.”

A hand came to rest on his arm. His eyes met Tula's. “Not alone, Ren. Not alone.” 

Ren turned at the feeling of another hand on his shoulder. “It's now our destiny, too,” said Ioz.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had considered the option of keeping Avagon alive just to have her interact with Ioz and Tula. I really think that would be amusing :) I was also curious to see what kind of influence she was going to have on Ren later on, but anyway, I've opted to stick to the original version of the story in the end. Avagon has fulfilled her role, and it's time for Ren to move on without her. 
> 
> And that was it for Victory. NEEEXT Andorus (which is my second favorite episode). The first chapter will be up on February 14.


	21. Andorus (1 of 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank the readers who have left kudos! They made me really happy, so thank you!
> 
> I think I'll do some more edits later, but all in all, I'm happy with this chapter. There are three extra scenes, and I'd love to know what you think about them (it goes without saying that you can be honest :D)! 
> 
> Teron and Tula will speak some Andorian. I'll write the translations of what they say in a note at the end of the chapter, together with some more notes about the story and my updating schedule!

**Ren**

 

They kept the sails full through the whole night until the sun was shining brightly in the sky. They took shifts between the wheel and the sails, not resting much, and even Niddler offered to help.

Weak as he was, there was not much Teron could do to help with manning the boat. Until the storm dawned on them on the second night, and Ren finally witnessed the full powers of an ecomancer. He understood then why Bloth had kept Teron captive on his ship.

Tula had sworn Teron was not using his full powers, but whatever he did was enough to calm the water and the winds to a point where they could sail undisturbed through the storm.

They didn't talk much about what had happened after Pandawa. Ioz still refused to speak to Tula, the suspicion in his eyes was so plain to see. When Tula wasn't manning the sails, she spent the rest of the time talking with Teron in a language Ren did not understand.

The tension around his crew was palpable, but Ren didn't dwell too much on it, he was simply beyond grateful he had got his crew of scoundrels back. He knew time would fix everything.

There weren't extra bunks in the crew's sleeping quarters, so Ren gave Teron access to the captain's quarters. He'd never used that room anyway. Seldom the ecomancer left the room, and when Ren had asked Tula what was Teron doing all the time in there alone, she'd answered: “he's feeding.”

Ren had chosen not to pry.

It was by the early afternoon of the fourth day, that Tula's shout pierced through the sound of the chiming winds. “Land forty links off the starboard bow!”

When Ioz asked about the next course, Ren answered to steer straight for the land. There hadn't been sightings of the Maelstrom, and they all could use a break.

The island was bigger than what it had looked from the distance. At first sight, it appeared inhabited and rich with fruit and fresh water. They couldn't ask for better.

Niddler soared from the deck, saying he would hunt for minga melons, and before Ren could answer he was gone.

As soon as they anchored the Wraith in a hidden cove on the eastern side, Tula announced she would check on Teron and offered to take care of the supper.

Ren was looking after the ropes when Ioz approached him.

“An auspicious day for sailing, and a welcoming place for a break,” he simply said, eyes trained on the island.

“I guess we could all use some time to rest.”

“She poisoned me.”

Ren had guessed Ioz hadn't joined him to have a conversation about the weather.

“I trusted her, and she poisoned me. She sold the Treasure and Compass to Bloth. Jitatin Bloth.”

“She knows it was a mistake, but her motives were-”

“I didn't hear that!” Ioz barked, eyes flaring with rage.

The swelling in his left eye had started to go down, but the signs of Ioz' ordeal were still there, and Ren couldn't help but feel a stinging sense of guilt.

“Is a pretty face all it takes to cloud your better judgment, Ren? Flash a pretty smile, and the jitatin heir of Octopon will come crawling after you.”

Ren hoped Ioz wasn't right. “I can see why she did it. I heard her, she believed Teron alone could save Mer. She knows better now.”

Ioz shook his head. “I hope you're right, Ren. I truly hope you are.”

“Thank you for carrying on my quest, Ioz. I owe you a lot.”

Shock crossed Ioz' face at that. “Noy borga, and have somebody else claim all the glory?” he shrugged. “I'll see to the yardarms.”

Ren could swear he saw the shade of a smile on Ioz' lips as he turned to walk away.

 

* * *

 

 

Ren was seated on the taffrail, relishing the soothing breeze of the sea at sunset, when Tula called out for supper.

When he entered the dining quarters, he found Teron at the table, his rattling cane placed on top of his crossed legs.

Niddler was perched on top of the barrel in the corner, as he had used to do before their break-up in Pandawa.

Ren could feel some of the tension in his shoulders melt away. Things seemed to be going back to where they used to be before Pandawa.

The table was already laden with a loaf of bread, cheese, a plate of salted fish, sliced melons, and a bowl full of pulpy berries. His stomach growled at the sight.

Ioz walked into the room not long after. He sat down without saying a word or looking at Tula.

“We'll spend a couple of days here,” Ren said cutting the heavy silence. “It should be enough to make repairs, gather supplies and rest.”

“It sounds good to me,” answered Tula, as she started to pile food over her plate.

“Which way does the Compass point?” asked Ioz.

“Still north,” Ren answered. “That's where we'll head.”

Ioz nodded and reached out for the ale before his hand stopped mid-air.

Ren grabbed the jug, poured the ale into his own cup and took a long swig. He then proceeded to fill his plate with food and dived into it.

Wearying minutes of silence, filled only with the sound of chewing followed, until Teron spoke, “I was told about your generous act in Pandawa, prince Ren.”

The man's blue eyes stared into his as if reading his soul.

“Some may think it was reckless and fool, to endanger your quest in order to assist the weaker,” Teron paused and Ren nodded, urging him to go on.

“But compassion, prince Ren, and generosity are virtues you'll need, once you'll don the crown of Octopon.”

Ren didn't have time to feel good about that.

“What does an Andorian know about it?” snapped Ioz.

“What does a pirate know about it?” spat Tula.

“ _Nigosh, dar shiva_ ,” Teron placed one hand over Tula's arm. “I don't know what it is to live under the rule of a king, young man,” he said to Ioz, who scowled at that. “But I recognize a kind and noble soul when I encounter one. And there's kindness, courage, and strength in Ren.”

“Ay, kindness and courage won't keep him alive. You're good with the bow, Ren, I'll give you that,” Ioz reached out for the plate of salted fish and picked a piece of meat. “But I'll teach you how to swing a sword,” he said before shoving it in his mouth. He chewed it a couple of times and washed it down with ale.

“I could use your help, thank you Ioz.”

Ioz nodded and reached out for a big, juicy berry.

“I can help you too if you wish so, Ren,” said Tula.

“Noy jitatin jitat,” snarled Ioz. “And teach him what? The art of sneaking poison into Bloth's cup when he's not watching?”

“If that's what it takes to get rid of Bloth, so be it,” Tula retorted.

Ioz made a scene of cupping his chin with a hand as if lost in thoughts. “So you're against Bloth now, aren't you?” he asked. “Did his mast taste that bad?”

Fire blazed in Tula's eyes. “Oh, I don't know Ioz, maybe you can tell me more about that. How does it usually taste?”

The berry exploded when Ioz clenched his hand into a fist, the red juice splattered over his jerkin. His eyes flicked to his sword.

That was the moment Ren snapped. “Scupango, enough you two. Enough! We are a crew! A crew! If we're to undertake this quest together, we must work together. Stop quarreling like two jitatin seagulls with half a clam. By Kunda, put an end to it. I'm done with this jitatin cawing and squawking!” Ren hurried to add at Niddler's cry of outrage, “Sorry, Niddler. I wasn't talking about you.”

“Right you are, Ren,” spat Ioz as he started to pile food over his plate. “I'm done with all this squawking and hissing.” He stood up, his plate filled to the brim with food, and stormed out of the dining quarters.

Tula clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, before tearing off a piece of bread. She topped it with a generous amount of cheese and salted fish and dived into it like a starving shark.

“You are an ecomancer, Teron?” It was a silly question, but Ren couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Teron nodded. “I am, my child. It's the power to control nature.”

“Teron isn't just an ecomancer,” Tula said as she chewed. “He's a supreme ecomancer.”

“What does that mean?”

“I am one with Andorus,” Teron answered.

“Is it why you can't survive far from Andorus?”

“Just so, prince Ren. Andorus keeps me alive.”

“Ren,” Tula said placing the remaining bread down on her plate. “I'm in no position of asking anything of you, but if we don't bring Teron back to Andorus he'll die.”

“Tula, my child, there's nothing I can do for-”

She slammed her hands on the table, and the ale sloshed over the rim of her cup.

“So you'll just die?” she yelled.

“I am no fighter, and even if I were, I couldn't face this fight alone, my child. I'm not what-”

“We've risked everything! _I_ have risked everything for you, and you're nothing but a plant,” she spat out, her voice drenched in rage. “You've always let things happen to you. Didn't you, Teron? You let them pick you up like a flower and whisk you away. You let Andorus die. You let our homeland die.” She shot so fast to her feet, she almost flipped the whole table over. “And now you will let yourself die too.”

“ _Tula, dar shiva-_ ”

“ _Le, Teron!_ ” she shouted in his face. “ _Shivenia egnor va_.”

Teron sighed and lowered his head.

Tula glared at him as if waiting for an answer. When it didn't come she turned to look at Ren. “Forgive me for yelling, I'll go to sleep.”

He couldn't do anything else but nod and look at her as she stomped away from the dining quarters.

Niddler exhaled a loud sigh and reached for another melon.

“Fierce child,” Teron shook his head. “She'll never change.”

“Do you know her well?” Ren asked.

“I know very little about her, but I'm sure it's more than you do, prince Ren.”

“Will you tell me?”

Teron straightened his back. “Her mother died giving birth to her younger brother. The child died a few days later. Tula's father surrendered to grief and started to drink himself to the ground more and more often over the years. Tula was a young girl when the man drank himself into the river and drowned. Her older sister,” he paused. “I don't recall her name. She left Andorus a fortnight after that. Tula was left alone.”

Ren shifted in his seat.

“People offered to take care of her. We are like that in Andorus, nobody is left alone. But Tula would take none of that. She was stubborn, my child, so young and yet so proud. It was the day of _Livenia_ ,” Teron paused again. “You know about it, prince Ren?”

Ren shook his head.

“It's the day preceding the rain season in Andorus. It's a day of big celebrations. Music, dances, laughter, and wine. Too much wine, I am afraid. I was told Tula was wandering around when a boy decided to touch her in places a boy shouldn't. I was also told, she broke the boy's nose in response,” Teron closed his eyes as if to recall what had happened so long ago. “When I arrived on the spot, she stood surrounded by three young men. Two of them were bleeding. She was bleeding too, but she was still poised to fight.”

A smile slowly blossomed on Teron's lips. “Daron intervened before me. He is the man who trains our warriors. He said to Tula: come to the _shivongar_ tomorrow. You'll be a warrior.”

“What's a siv... Sivon...” Ren had a hard time pronouncing that sound, like the rustling of winds through the leaves. It flowed so smooth and natural over Teron's tongue.

“ _Shivongar_ is the place where young Andorians go and train. Is the place where Daron turns them into warriors. And then, prince Ren, you can imagine the rest of the story.”

“I can,” Ren nodded.

“Aldian and her, they are two of the best fighters we've ever had. Or so Daron says. Aldian stayed, she was sent to look for me. What I know about Tula is that she's smart, relentless,” Teron sighed. “There's a fire burning wild in Tula, an untamed power, I feel it. But don't let that flaming rage distract you from the good in her. Tula was gifted with a gentle loving soul,” he smiled. “She'll serve you well.”

“I don't want her or Ioz to serve me,” Ren said. “I want them to be my shipmates, my... Friends.”

He didn't want them to leave him alone ever again, but he didn't confess that to Teron. He thought about Jenna instead, he would have told her everything. At times he missed her so much, it was everything he could do to keep from screaming.

“And friends they'll be,” Teron smiled. “But now if you'd excuse me, prince Ren, I'll retire to bed.”

“Of course, Teron.”

Teron grabbed his rattling cane and stood up slowly, on uncertain legs. For a moment Ren wondered if he should have helped him to his cabin or if Teron would take offense in that.

It was a couple of minutes after Teron had left the dining quarters, that Ren noticed his cup and plates were still clean. No food or drink had touched them.

_He's feeding._

Ren looked at Niddler, who was still chewing on the last piece of melon. “We make a good crew, Niddler. Don't we?”

Niddler's eyes flicked around the room, he then dived his beak back into the melon.

 

* * *

 

 

The island bathed in the light of day looked like a paradise. Its thousand trees rising high towards the sky were like a bright green canvas dotted with the bright colors of fruit and flowers. The wind carried their sweet scent all the way to where the Wraith stood anchored, and Ren promised himself he would adventure into the island later. He craved for a bath, and there were good chances he could find a stream  or a pond of fresh water.

“It's good we stopped to clean the ship and make repairs,” he said.

“It's some break!” grunted Ioz. He stood kneeled down, scrubbing at the deck with a damp rag in his hands. “I'd rather be fighting a pack of pirates!”

The rattle of Teron's cane announced his presence. “You've certainly picked a beautiful place to dock, prince Ren. It reminds me of Andorus before the scourge of Dark Water. It's not far from here, you know, just over the horizon.”

Ren remembered about Tula's request of bringing Teron back to their homeland.

“Someday,” he said to the ecomancer. “I'd like to see it!”

“Oh you will, prince Ren,” Teron answered. “Sooner than you think.”

A shadow skimmed across the deck before Ren could answer anything. The sound of something splashing over the ship followed.

“I have that dirt you wanted, Tula!” announced Niddler. That was when Ren noticed the sack full to the brim with soil in his hands.

Niddler landed on the spot over the deckwhereTula had been busy all morning. She had collected some bulbs and seeds from the island and was now busy planting them into a bunch of pots she had found in the galley.

“Thanks, Niddler!” she smiled. There was not a trace left of the rage of the previous night.

“Chongo longo!” shouted Ioz, noticing the dirt scattered over the deck. “Potted plants and a pirate. Noy jitat!”

“You won't be complaining when you want fresh spices, Ioz!” said Tula. There was no anger in her voice, no scorn, no hostility.

Niddler being useful, Ioz and Tula having a conversation together without squabbling, a beautiful island to explore, the promise of a bath. Ren bit his tongue to make sure he was not dreaming.

“Can we have some mint? I love mint!” said Niddler, as he soared skyward.

“We'll get you some, you glutton monkeybi-” Tula screamed.

“Tula?” Ren dashed to where she was kneeling. “What's wrong?”

She was staring wide-eyed at the pots. It was five of them, one was still empty, while four others were full of damp soil. A green sprout had already blossomed into one of them. Ren couldn't really see anything amiss.

“Nothing,” she shook her head. “Nothing! Look at these clothes! I'd better change,” she said shooting up to her feet.

“Are you sure everything's alright? You sounded-”

“Everything alright! I'll be back,” and with that, she hurried below deck.

Not for the first time, Ren had the feeling Tula was hiding something from him, but he couldn't dwell too long upon it before he heard the rattling of the cane approaching. The ecomancer stopped right behind him, eyes focused on the pots, and a smile on his lips.

“I'll check the sails for holes to patch,” Ren said, not entirely sure Teron was listening.

It didn't take long for him to tend to the sails, they were still the ones King Obrik had provided them with. The fabric was soft and yet so thick, the winds hadn't managed to wear it yet.

“There,” Ren announced, after jumping down to the deck. “By tomorrow we'll be ready to set sail again!”

He walked to the barrel of fresh water and collected some in a cup.

“Chongo, right about time,” grunted Ioz, dipping the rag back into the bucket.

“Not before I collect enough water for my plants!” said Tula, as she hopped above deck.

The cup fell from Ren's hand and shattered over the deck, water spraying over his feet.

Tula had donned a new pair of rosy, soft pants, together with a vest of the same color, embroidered with a delicate green thread. It was cut low to bear her shoulders and had just enough fabric to cover her breasts and ribcage. The leather waistband had been replaced by a green silk she had tied low around her waist.

It was there Ren's eyes helplessly lingered, and he felt a wrenching burst of heat.

“Tula... Your clothes?” Ren failed miserably in his attempt to sound indifferent, so he just kneeled down to pick up the shards of the cup.

“Oh,” she answered. “Well, I found a trunk of silks below. I thought I could use a change. I guess it's not fit for a warrior?” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Ren felt the edge of a shard slicing his finger.

“None that I've ever seen,” Ioz said. “Looks nice, eh, Ren?”

She was the most beautiful woman Ren had ever seen. “Yes, nice,” he said, clenching his hand into a fist to conceal the blood.

“Tula!” Niddler appeared above deck, holding a white canvas in his hands. “How about a little something for a world-traveling monkeybird?” he said as he wrapped it around his wings.

Tula laughed. “Come, silly bird!” she said, taking Niddler's hand. “Feathers are clothes enough for you!”

They both went down below deck.

“Does Tula seem different to you?”

Ren jumped when he noticed Ioz standing at his side. “I'll say.”

Nobody said a word anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

Once Ioz was done swabbing the deck, he went to lie down in the sun and a moment later he started to snore. Teron had returned to the captain's quarters, and there was no trace of Tula or Niddler.

Ren had done everything there was left to do before they could weigh anchor. It was time to keep his promise and explore the island.

The long branches of the trees laced together high above his head, offering a cool repair in the warmest hours of the day. Ren adventured into the wilderness, relishing the gentle chirping of birds and the sweet scent of the flowers. It was not long before he stumbled on a pond of crystalline water. He quickly got rid of his clothes and dived into it.

The feeling of the fresh water over his skin was the best thing he could have asked for. Ren washed the dirt away from his body and hair, and then let himself float in peace on the water, enjoying the soft kiss of sunlight spilling through the leaves.

The freshness of the pond was blissful, and yet Ren got easily bored. He donned his breeches and boots, flung his vest over his shoulder and went on exploring the island. Until he found himself in front of a much bigger pond.

Tula was seated at the edge of the water, legs crossed. She was staring at a beautiful flower next to her; its large petals the shades of the sky at sunrise. Ren couldn't explain what he saw on her face, somehow she looked troubled, and eyed the flower as if it could hurt her. Whatever the matter was, he should have probably left her alone, but his feet moved on their own.

“Sweetwater, for a change!” he said, announcing his presence. “Blissful!”

Tula smiled. “Has the mighty seafaring king tired of sailing?”

Ren was well aware he was not a king yet, but he saw Tula's eyes travel over his body, and if she wanted to call him a king she could do it.

“You should watch that tongue of yours while talking to the king, Tula.”

“Or else what?” she cocked her head to the side. Her hair looked like silk and he was ready to bet the Treasures of Rule it also felt like it at the touch.

Ren kneeled down beside her. The beautiful flower was now everything that stood between them.

“Do you want to know?”

“I'm most curious, my king.”

When he pushed her, Tula splashed into the water with a startled cry. A sort of amused outrage was painted over her face when she resurfaced.

“This is what happens when you insult the king, my lady.”

Tula dived down under the water and when she emerged, Ren had enough time to make out the movement of her hand, before something splashed over his naked chest. He looked down, it was mud.

Ren chuckled. “These are dangerous waters you are-”

More mud splattered over his chest. Her laughter followed.

When Niddler laughed he screamed like a monkey, while Ioz almost barked like a dog. Tula's laughter was like a song.

“Enough, Tula. If it's war you want, you'll have it.” He dived into the water.

Her legs were slowly, delicately moving in circles, the movement almost mesmerizing. Ren seized her ankle and gave her a tug down.

For a moment they stared at each other underwater, their hair floating around their heads. Then she leaped forward and pushed his head down.

It was easy to overpower her. Ren struggled free and poked his head above the water to breathe.

When he did, Tula splashed water at him. He dived back underwater and, wrapping his hands around her, dragged her down.

They tried to overpower each other and dragging each other underwater.

“Yield!” Ren ordered once they both resurfaced, splashing water at each other.

Tula dived down and spat a mouthful of water in his face when she emerged.

“Disgrace!” he roared and seized her by the waist, ready to plunk her into the water again. However, when his fingers brushed her side, Tula squirmed.

“What was that?” His lips curved into a smile.

“Nothing!” she answered too fast. Ren did not miss the flicker of panic across her face.

“Does this tickle you, my lady?” He stroked his fingers over her skin.

Tula jerked in his hands. “Don't you-”

Ren tickled her again, and this time she fought him harder. Her sweet laughter turned into something more akin to a squawk, which made him laugh even more.

“Yield?” he asked.

“You gantha-”

He tickled her again. “Yield, my lady?”

“I yield!” she finally cried out. “I yield, you... I yield!”

Tula went limp in his hands, still lightly shaking with laughter, and let him scoop her up into his arms. Ren lifted her up onto the bank and went to lie beside her.

“You're not unsinkable after all,” he said.

Tula raised an eyebrow. “Nobody's unsinkable, Ren, we all have weaknesses.”

“I wonder what's mine.”

“Must be this mane of yours,” she said, brushing her fingers along his wet hair. She must have read the silent question on his face, for she added, “Niddler told me how you refused to cut it when it was plastered with borka paste.”

Ren laughed. “You've been talking to Niddler now, haven't you?”

“I guess he stopped seeing me as a threat,” she said, rolling onto her back.

Her new clothes soaked in water adhered to her body like a second skin, Ren forced his eyes elsewhere.

“I will bring Teron back to Andorus before he withers away, I promise you. He said it's not far from here.”

The smile washed away from her face. “Thank you, Ren.”

He sighed. “Would you have poisoned me too?”

Her eyes went round at the question.

“Why didn't you tell me the truth?” he pressed on. It hurt him to interrupt that moment of fun, but he needed the truth.

Tula averted her eyes. “I'm afraid there are many things I've failed to tell you.”

“You can do it now before it's too late again. Why did you steal those scrolls from the Atani?”

“I knew Bloth had Teron. The scroll I needed was a map of the Maelstrom. I still have it, we all could use it.”

Ren felt his jaw drop. “You handed the scrolls back-”

“Two worthless scrolls I didn't need. The first rule of the thief, Ren: always take more than you need.”

He didn't know what to answer to that. “No more secrets, Tula. Promise me.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it.

“Tula?”

Her eyes darted to the trees around them as if looking for something Ren couldn't see. “I'll tell you, Ren, just not now.”

Ren nodded and lay down on his back beside her. He felt the warmth of the sun embrace him and if he could have spent the rest of his life like that, he would have.

His pants were mostly dry when Tula stood up and offered a hand to help him up. As they headed back to the Wraith they didn't talk much, and yet he felt at ease in that silence.

_Flash a pretty smile and the jitatin heir of Octopon will come crawling after you._

Ren truly hoped Ioz was wrong.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Dar shiva." : My child.  
> “Nigosh, dar shiva.” : Be kind, my child.  
> “Le, Teron. Shivenia egnor va.” : No, Teron. You have forsaken your children.
> 
> As I've already stated in a previous note (end note of chapter 9), instead of using the form of address “Your Majesty”, Tula erroneously refers to Ren as “my king”. Don't believe for one second Ren's ever going to correct her, cause the boy likes it. :)
> 
> Anyway, for the first time since I started to post this story, I can't tell you when the next chapter will be up. I'm changing workplace, and the next couple of weeks will be hectic, to say the least.  
> I can still promise you the next chapter of Andorus will be up by the end of next week, I just don't know exactly when (Thursday or Saturday most likely).
> 
> UPDATE: The next chapter will be up on February 25


	22. Andorus (2 of 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long week, and I'm not entirely sure my brain is working right now. Anyhow, I've learned the art of pushing myself and so here I am with the update.
> 
> This chapter was definitely challenging to write. I had two important questions to answer to, namely: "what does being an ecomancer mean?" and "how does it feel?"
> 
> I hope you'll like it and please if you have any suggestion on how to make it better, don't be shy and let me know! :)
> 
> I know it may sound repetitive but comments are and will always be welcome!

**Tula**

 

The island was a remote fragment of heaven on earth, untouched by men and unspoiled by the Dark Water. Tula had wandered for hours around, relishing the marvelous colors, and letting the sweet scent of thousand flowers and ripe fruits seep into her until she felt drunk with it.

She had taken her time to stroll among the trees, brushing her fingers across their trunks and had let the leaves caress her in return. For no more than a heartbeat, she had been one of those leaves, brushing against her own skin. Tula had felt it, her skin, and the smell of salt on it. Then she had come back to reality, shoving that feeling back from where it came. It was getting harder and harder to keep it at bay, and she wondered if Teron's presence might have had anything to do with that.

In the end, Tula had found a pond, the water so clear she could watch the tiny fish swam in circles, blissfully unaware of the dangers looming in the water.

She had bathed in that pond, letting the cold water wash away the dirt and the uneasiness of the past days. It had worked, Tula had felt instantly better and she had smiled as she floated over the water. It had felt almost ecstatic to be able to bathe without the constant fear of a pool of Dark Water emerging from the depth.

After bathing, Tula had laid on the edge of the pond, letting the sun dry her body. Little by little, the sweet warmth of the sun had seeped into her skin, she had closed her eyes and upturned her face to the light. There had been a distant, soft chirping echoing from the treetops. Tula had let herself get lost in it, clearing her mind. Slowly, the voices in her heads had quietened down, leaving a blank, comforting emptiness.

It had been then, as her focus ebbed down, that it had happened again. Her hand had brushed over the grass, and suddenly Tula had been a bulb, laying deep into the ground. When she had opened her eyes a beautiful flower had blossomed next to her. 

Somebody had spoken then, Ren. A warm smile was on his face, and Tula had wondered if Ren was aware of how handsome he was.

It was not long before they were playing in the crystalline water. Tula had laughed, genuinely and wholeheartedly. She had felt so grateful for that moment of fun, she had been afraid her heart might burst.

Tula stood now perched on the taffrail of the Wraith, relishing the memories of the previous day. It was their third day on the island, and she knew it was also the last. She would miss this place, and the little child inside her head pouted and stamped her feet at the thought of setting sail. Yet she knew the importance of finding the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, as she knew that if they failed to find them the Dark Water would eventually reach this little heaven and turned it into ashes.

Like Andorus. Her throat clenched at the thought. If they failed to gather the Thirteen Treasures this beautiful island will end up like Andorus.

“How are our plants doing Tula?” Niddler squawked from behind her.

No matter how many seeds of awareness Daron had tried to plant into her brain. Tula's head was a barren land. She hoped Daron was still alive, somewhere.

“They're all good, Niddler,” she answered. “We'll get more water today before we set sail.”

Something had changed in Niddler after their last ordeal on the Maelstrom. During the first part of their journey together, the monkeybird had spent every waking moment trailing after Ren, but now Niddler seemed to enjoy being at her side.

Tula didn't mind him. The more time they spent together, the more she realized Niddler was as sweet as those minga melons he loved so much. And the more time they spent together, the more the guilt for leaving him and Ren behind consumed her. Ren had been right, they should have stayed and destroyed Jargis together. Tula was not sure she could ever forgive herself for forsaking her crew, and every time she scratched Niddler's head, every time she smiled at him and laughed at his silly jokes, she hoped the monkeybird would forgive her, one day.

“Will you come with me to the stream?” she asked.

“I don't know,” Niddler said. His beak was a curious thing. The top of it was like the beak of a parrot, pointy, yellow and hard as a rock. The bottom was not much different from a human lip, and Niddler spread it upward when he smiled. “What if I get hungry?”

“I think I saw some minga melon trees around there.”

Niddler flicked his wings and in less than a heartbeat was up in the air.

“I'll get the flasks!” he announced, flying away.

 

* * *

 

Together with six empty flasks, Niddler brought a minga melon to share as they walked to the stream.

It was another beautiful day, and when they reached the place, they dipped their feet in the stream, enjoying the caress of the cold water.

“You know, Tula, I could live here,” said Niddler, spreading his beautiful wings in the sun.

“Maybe we could come back, once we've saved the world!”

At first, Niddler nodded, but then some sort of hesitation crossed his face.

“What?” Tula asked.

“What about Ren?”

For a moment she was lost for words. “He'll be crowned king of Octopon, and he'll rule over his lands.”

“In Octopon?”

She nodded.

“I want to stay with Ren,” Niddler said. “But I also want to come back here.”

Tula smiled. “We can kidnap him when the moment will come. We'll let Ioz rule.”

Niddler laughed, the sound so sharp in the quiet of the nature around them.

Tula reached out for an empty flask and plunged it into the water. Niddler proceeded to help her, handing over the empty flasks, and taking them once they were full of water.

“Here's another one!” Tula said as she handed Niddler the fifth flask.

He panted. “How thirsty are your plants?” As he spoke, his eyes flicked from the bushes to the treetops. It would not take long before Niddler decided to fly away and gorge on whatever fruit he could find.

Tula felt her lips spread into a smile. “Just one more!”

She dipped the last flask into the water when a funny image of Niddler sneaking away to haunt for melons flashed in her head. It was just a moment of distraction, and yet it was enough to cause a breach in the walls she had erected, and suddenly Tula was the water. She was the flow and every single drop. She was a tiny fish, she could see her own hand gripping the flask underwater. She brushed against it, feeling the rough skin. A hundred tiny bodies wriggled all around her. And Tula was the stream, swirling them around her hand.

Then she breathed and shut the feeling back inside the walls. She opened her eyes and quickly looked at Niddler, hoping he didn't notice anything was amiss. But Niddler was gaping at her hand still underwater.

Tula looked down and gasped. What seemed to be like hundred tiny tadpoles were swimming in circles around her hand. And her hand was glowing with a soft blue light.

“You're...” Niddler looked at her, shock plain on his face. “Pretty popular with the tadpoles, Tula!”

“Yes,” she stuttered, removing her hand from the water. She dropped the flask in the process and watched as the stream carried it away together with the tadpoles. “Isn't it?”

She examined her hand, the blue light still engulfed it like a cold flame.

“That light, again!” She tapped her hand over her legs, trying to extinguish the blue flame.

“Just as I suspected,” a voice cut in from the thick vegetation behind them.

Tula cursed, she couldn't help it. “Teron, what are you-”

“You have the elemental touch,” Teron said, as he slowly paced towards her, his cane rattling so loud Tula wondered how in the twenty seas had she failed to hear it. Daron had always been right, she was a clueless, unfocused easy prey _._

She forced a laugh. “I think you should go back-”

“The power of an ecomancer!”

Tula jumped out of the stream, shaking her head. She had committed a deadly mistake, Teron should have never seen that. He had said that out loud, it was too late. And yet she would not let him win.

“Impossible!” she shouted. “I'm no ecomancer!” she turned her back to Teron.

She heard him approach this time.

“Can you feel it, child?” Teron smiled as he cupped her hand in his. “Because I can feel it,” he closed his eyes and the blue flames were back, engulfing their joined hands.

“The ecomancer's fire grows strong within you. You have it, my child. The power to control nature.”

Her eyes closed on their own will, and Tula was the wind, she was the ground under her feet, she was a dagron flying in the sky.

“Stop!” she shouted, sliding back into her body. She yanked her hand away from Teron's clutch. “I'm no mystic! I'm a warrior, a _warrior_!I was raised for battle!”

“You were raised for battle, but you were born an ecomancer.” Andorian flowed gently and warm from Teron's mouth when he said, “Sometimes a person's true calling comes when she least expects it.”

Tula shook her head. “I don't want this.”

Teron reached out to cup her cheek. “You were given a rare and precious gift, my child. Who gave it to you?”

 _A gift._ Tula looked away.

“Who gave it to you?” he asked again.

“Father,” she spat.

Teron nodded. “As I suspected.”

Tula shouldn't have been grateful for the roar that breached through the sky, but for a heartbeat, that was the way she felt. Then the shapes of three dagrons appeared above their heads, and whatever gratitude she had dared to feel turned to ashes.

“Dagrons!” screeched Niddler.

Tula recognized one of the riders, she had met him, cornered him and then let him sneak before her eyes. Konk.

“Niddler!” she said, eyes trained on the dagrons. The familiar sense of calmness preceding a fight flowing through her body. “Take Teron!”

“What about you?” Niddler peeped.

“Now,” Tula uttered. “Get back to the Wraith.”

Niddler did as she commanded. He got hold of Teron and soared skyward.

Tula heard Konk's grunt something she did not catch over the sound of the winds, but it didn't matter, she figured that out when two riders steered their dagrons her way, and the piglet's dagron dashed after Niddler.

Tula had fought more men and women that she could count, humans and humanoids alike, trained fighters and stumbling drunkards. Never in her life, she had to face a beast the size of a dagron. Let alone two.

It was too late to flee. Instinctively, she assumed the fighting position, her body shifting sideways, right foot in front. However, when her hands reached for the weapons, she couldn't help the cry of horror escaping her lips.

Tula had felt pretty in her new clothes, their silk was the finest fabric her skin had ever touched. The weapons had looked so out of place that for once, Tula had allowed herself to be a silly, vain girl. She had left her blades under her mattress. A mistake she would pay dearly.

Her chest tightened again, a feeling igniting inside it. _Don't let it. Be still. Focus._

Daron had one, indisputable rule: when you fight, you don't feel. Tula chased the feeling away, smothering it, letting the familiar numbness spread inside her chest. She felt it flow down into her limbs, taking over until she was a warrior again. An unfeeling, warrior, ready to kill.

 _With what?_ A voice shouted inside her head. She was unarmed, and the feeling slammed back into her chest.

 She saw the dagrons diving downward. They were coming for her. 

_At least you'll die wearing pretty clothes._

Or maybe they wouldn't kill her. Maybe the order was to bring her back to the Maelstrom. Where Bloth would kill her.

And what if Konk caught Teron? And Niddler. Would Konk let his dagron kill him or would he bring him too back to the Maelstrom? Would they torture them to find out how to get to Ren? Would they kill them after that? 

_Yes, they will._

A small gap breached through the walls, and a distinct feeling sneaked through it. It was fear.

_Still, breathe, fight, don't feel._

But it was too late not to feel. The fear morphed into anger.

The gap in the walls expanded.

The dagrons roared and she felt it deep inside her gut. The anger was a burning, living thing. Anger for Bloth, anger for the Dark Water, anger for being a silly girl and forsaking her weapons.

 _Don't feel_.

But the anger flared into a pure, scorching fury when the winds carried the foul stench of dagron right to her nose.

The walls came crashing down. And as the feelings took over her body and mind, Tula was the dagron.

She felt her wings spread wide, and the winds blowing hard against them. She saw the blue stream below and a girl standing next to it still as stone. She was flying down towards that girl. The rider had ordered her to, and she had to do as he said or pain would follow. She craved to tear the girl apart. They hadn't fed her in days, she was starved.

Then she felt the hit of a kick, she felt the string of the saddle tight around her body. She heard the rider yelled _ya,_ it was an order to fly faster.

She roared and relished the rider's fear when she reached for his leg and dived her long fangs into the flesh. She tasted the blood on her tongue. The rider bellowed when she yanked him off the saddle and let him fall down. He screamed one last time before crushing to the ground.

She looked to the other dagron, who had stopped mid-air and was now floating aimlessly in the sky. It was ignoring the yells of its rider, whose panic was plain to see.

Before launching herself at him, she threw her head up in the air and roared. The rider shouted as she crashed over him, closing her jaws around his neck. He was already dead when she opened her mouth and let him fall down.

Then she turned to the girl still standing next to the stream and launched herself down at her.

Tula opened her eyes and the first thing she realized was that she was shaking as a leaf. Her hand flicked over her arms, shoulders, chest. She was still human, still her. She raised her head and saw the dagrons coming for her.

An instinct made her lift her hand and shout, “Back!”

At that, the dagrons stopped. 

“Down!” It was Andorian coming from her mouth now, but the language made no difference to the dagrons. She felt the bound with them, and they did as she ordered them to.

The dagron she approached did not protest when she climbed on top of the saddle and gripped the reins. The stench of the beast almost made her gag, but she reached out for its neck and patted it. Its green skin felt rough and scratchy under her hand, it was like touching a jagged stone. Tula secured her feet in the stirrups.

“Fly!” she uttered, and the dagron soared up into the sky, obeying like a well-trained dog.

It was the power of an ecomancer.

Tula shook her head, no time for that kind of musing, she had to find Niddler and Teron, and warn Ren. “Find them!” she yelled to the beast, who suddenly changed its course. It knew who she was talking about and it knew where to find the third dagron, the one Konk was riding.

As the dagron changed direction and she looked at the sea, she saw the shape of a leviathan over the horizon, that made her blood run cold. The Maelstrom. She had to warn Ren, immediately.

The Wraith looked even smaller from the sky, and from that height, she realized how truly beautiful her white sails were when spread.

She reached out for the dagron's neck. “Down!” she said, and the beast started to slowly descend.

As Tula approached the ship, she could see her crewmates preparing to cast off. They must have seen Konk's dagron chasing Niddler.

Both men unsheathed their weapons when they heard the flapping wings behind them. At first, she saw the horror on their faces, which then quickly shifted to something akin to shock.

“Follow me!” she shouted. “We have to save Teron and Niddler.”

She didn't hear his voice, but she saw Ren mouthing her name.

“Maelstrom on the starboard, they're approaching,” she said before commanding the dagron to chase Konk.

As fast as Niddler could fly, he couldn't keep up with the speed of a dagron. She saw Konk producing something from the saddle, the wind spread it out like a sail. It was a net. Tula had to act fast.

“Get him,” she said, placing a hand over her dagron's neck. “Fast.”

The beast roared, and then launched itself at Konk.

The piglet had been spinning the net above his head, ready to throw. His hand froze in the air when he noticed the shadow looming above him. The net fell limp in his hand. Konk looked up, eyes filled with terror.

“Seize him,” Tula said.

Her dagron dived downward,and Konk screamed when its paws clutched around him. It was easy for the dagron to yank him off the saddle.

“Release,” Tula said.

Obedient, the dagron let him go, and Konk went down into the sea with a loud scream. 

Tula kicked her dagron's flanks, and the beast flew like the wind. It didn't take long before she reached Niddler and Teron.

“Tula?” Niddler screeched, his voice so loud she could hear it with no effort over the roaring winds. “I never thought I'd seen you on a dagron!”

“Bring Teron here!” she answered. She had a lot to explain to her crew, but it could still be delayed for a while.

Niddler obeyed, flying above her, he lowered Teron until he was sitting behind her in the saddle.

He wrapped his fragile arms around her waist. “Good work, my child,” he said. “Where's Ren?”

“Following in our path.”

“Then let's fly on,” he said. “Towards the north, he can catch up to us there.”

“What's north?” she asked.

“You'll see, my child.”

Tula didn't have time to ask further questions. She looked north and ordered the dagron to fly on. “Niddler,” she shouted. “Follow us!”

The monkeybird obeyed too.

It was after some time that Tula noticed the other two dagrons had been following them. She hadn't ordered them to, but the dagrons had been Bloth's property, any desire for freedom had surely been beaten out of them. Tula pitied those beasts.

Teron's hand came to lay on her shoulder. “We're almost there, my child. I can see the shore.”

She looked straight ahead, Teron was right. Land stood out over the horizon. And as the dagron stroke its powerful wings, the scrap of land grew bigger and bigger in front of her eyes, finally revealing the shape of an island spreading out for leagues and leagues over the sea. It almost looked as big as Andorus.

It was not long before Tula noticed something about the island was terribly wrong. No land should have looked that dark, where was the green of the treetops? She could make out the trunks, and the hills behind, but the island was as dark as the night. It looked completely barren. Even worse, it looked dead, why would Teron- 

Tula's eyes felt on the shape of a tree towering above all the others. Even from the distance, she could see its trunk was thicker than any trunk had the right to be. But it was absurd. That couldn't be. That couldn't just be. 

“That island,” she said, a silent question she couldn't bring herself to ask.

She heard Teron sigh behind her. “Don't you recognize your homeland anymore?”

The feeling was like an ice cold dagger in the guts. Stabbing once, twice, ten more times.

_Andorus._

Tula had left Andorus on a boat heading south. She hadn't looked behind once, as the sails had caught the wind and the boat had skimmed over the sea. Taking her away. She hadn't looked behind once.

The feelings were smothering her, and Tula was not strong enough to fight them. She let the dagron fly them to the devastated land.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of Andorus will be up on March 9.
> 
> UPDATE 2: Sorry guys, I know I've already changed the publishing date twice, but life got in the way and even today I won't be able to post the new chapter. I promise it will be up on March 14. Sorry again!


	23. Andorus (3 of 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me longer than expected to post this chapter. My life is a real roller-coaster at the moment, and the fact that I'll move to another country by the end of this month sure doesn't help :)  
> This came as a much welcome surprise, but as you can imagine I'm left with very little time to take care of way too many things.  
> I don't know how often I'll manage to update this during the next month, but I promise, as soon as I get my life back together, I'll be back to my strict weekly posting schedule!

**Tula**

 

Every time their father came back home staggeringand slurring broken words, Dalla clenched her fists and yelled she was going to leave Andorus for good. That had always sounded like an empty threat to Tula, as Father kept on drinking his sorrow away and Dalla still remained.

Then the day had come when their father had not returned home. Two days later some fisher had found his drowned corpse floating on the river.

Dalla had not shed a tear, she had just turned to look at Tula and said _I'm sorry_.

Tula had not understood the real meaning of those words until it was too late. One morning she had woken up, and her sister was gone.

Tula had cried for hours, maybe days, curled on the dirty floor of their empty hovel. She had been no more than a child, and yet, while wailing on that hard floor, she had wished for death to take her.

Death had not granted her wish, and the girl who had stood up from that floor was not the same who had cried her eyes out on it. As young as Tula had been back then, she had promised herself she would not be that helpless girl anymore. Tula was going to fight. Tula was going to be strong, soulless, unbreakable.

But there was nothing strong or unbreakable about her, as she dismounted the dagron and fell down to her knees on the shore of what had once been Andorus. She wished she could not feel, but her chest ached with despair at the sight of the death before her eyes, and she pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream building inside of her.

Teron had not been wrong, and although he had warned her nothing remained of Andorus, she was not prepared for what lay in front of her eyes.

Withered trees, dead leaves, darkness, ashes, destruction. Andorus was dead. The very air she breathed tasted like death. She felt it travel through her nose, down to her lungs, intoxicating her, smothering her.

She knew Teron felt that too. His back was curved as if burdened by an overwhelming weight, his eyes shut in pain. And when the realization stroke her, the tears washed free down her face. Andorus was dead, and Teron was doomed to die too.

“Do you feel it, my child?” he suddenly spoke, his voice laced with sorrow.

Tula wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “I do.”

“I'm not a warrior, but you are, Tula. Fight it, build walls and don't let it breach through.”

The plead in Teron's voice made her shiver. “I won't.”

“You know, my child, what it is that hurts me the most?”

Tula just shook her head.

“I can still smell the delectable fruit of the Andorian Orchards. Do you remember their sweetness?”

Tula remembered. She had loved to weave the orchards together in the shape of crowns she placed on her head when nobody could see her. Except for the day Aldian had caught her. He had bowed down, calling her a queen. Although that had been meant to mock her, Aldian had asked her to keep the crown on as they took part in the celebrations, indulging in the sweet red wine, dancing around the bonfires. It was the last day of Livenia she had spent in Andorus, and the memory was still so vivid in her mind.

Where was Aldian now? Where was Daron? Where were all the others? How many had to die before they had finally decided to abandon their homeland?

“I can still hear the Randor flow, the life spring to our people,” Teron went on. “Now it's a trickle of poison.”

Tula could swear she saw the gleam of a tear run down his cheek.

“And our poor home tree,” he sighed as he opened his eyes. “It sheltered so many families, including your own, if I remember.”

“Teron,” she rose from the ground on uncertain feet. “Why did we bother to come back? There's nothing to save anymore.” She had refused to see, but Andorus was beyond saving. “The Dark Water has won.”

Anguish flared in her chest as she spoke those words, and Tula wondered how could the sun dare to shine when death was all around them.

But at the sound of those words, Teron seemed to come back to life. He had lost his walking cane, but slowly he straightened his back and raised his head high.

“No, my child,” he said. “You can find life in the coldest tundra or deepest sea, and we will find it here.”

She opened her mouth to answer when Teron spoke again in Merian. “Niddler, why don't you keep a lookout for the Wraith? There's something I wish to show to Tula.”

Tula had forgotten Niddler was there, as well as the three dagrons perched not far from where they were standing.

“Off with you, beasts!” she ordered.

They obeyed and soared away. Tula could not imagine where, but a small part of her hoped they would find a place where they could spend the rest of their lives in peace.  

“You don't by chance see any minga melons here, do you?” Niddler asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“You'll find no food on this island. It's been decimated by Dark Water,” Teron answered.

At that, Niddler lost all control. “I'm going to die!” he screeched. “I'm going to die, and what is worse, I'll starve first!”

“Niddler,” Tula spoke gently, she knew by now that nothing good ever came from a panicking monkeybird. “Do as Teron says, keep a lookout for Ren, and when he comes lead him to us. You'll find food aboard the Wraith, and we'll leave this place soon.”

That seemed to appease him.

“They'd better get here soon, or all they're going to find is the beak and bones of a starved monkeybird!” he peeped, perching down on the grey sand, wings folded around his body.

“Come, my child,” Teron said, taking the first steps towards what had once been a lush forest.

Tula watched as he trudged on the sand and without thinking twice, she approached him and offered him an arm. Teron placed his hand on it, and Tula sustained him as they paced through the withered trees, leaving footprints over a layer of black ashes.

They did not speak as they walked, the silence heavy with the grief of their lost homeland. They stepped over countless rotten leaves and black mud before they finally happened in front of a dark trunk as large as a house, and Tula was not able to stifle the cry escaping her lips.

The last time she had looked at the Viva Tree, it had been a living, powerful force with its colossal trunk, thick branches alive with leaves of such a bright shade of green they sparkled in the sun.

The leaves, which still stubbornly clung to the branches, had turned as dark as ashes.

Teron inhaled a deep, long breath and advanced towards the Viva Tree. “This is the remedy, my child.”

Something shifted in her chest. “Remedy?”

“Yes. The Viva Tree has saved Andorus before, even during the days of the Blight.”

“Teron...” Tula feared Teron might have lost his mind. “You told me you could do nothing for Andorus anymore. I can see why now.”

“Exactly, my child. I alone can do nothing for Andorus, but with you, and the Viva Tree, we can restore it.”

Teron had definitely lost his mind.

“Only the supreme ecomancers are allowed to touch the Viva Tree.”

She shivered when Teron smiled. “Trust me, Tula. Your powers are deeper than you think.” He turned back to look at the tree. “Together we may be able to revive our homeland. Follow me.”

He walked to the base of the Viva Tree. There, at the very bottom of the trunk was a cavity high enough for a person to stand inside. The supreme ecomancers were the only ones allowed to enter there, and there was not a single person in Andorus who truly knew what went on during those moments.

Teron stepped into the hollow and gestured to Tula to join him.

They said lower ecomancers had tried to enter the Viva Tree, and the only thing that ever got out had been they withered corpses.

Tula took a step back. That was madness.

 _Stay with Ren_ , Teron had said. The rest of Mer would not be different from what remained of Andorus if they failed to gather the Treasures of Rule. She took another step back.

“My child,” Teron spoke so gently. “The Viva Tree will not harm you. You know it, in your heart. You're part of it.”

 _Bring Teron back._ Daron had said. _Do whatever needs to be done, but bring him back_.

Tula had failed them all.

“Tula, my child, you know it.”

_You know it._

She chanted those words in her head as she stepped forward until she was standing at Teron's side, inside the Viva Tree.

As soon as she was in, the Viva Tree came alive, and dozens of branches wriggled like snakes to sigil the entrance, leaving no way out.

Tula tried to suppress a shiver, as the thought she had just walked into a mortal cage crossed her mind.

 _No, this isn't a cage_. Teron was right, Tula could feel the essence of the Viva Tree seeping into her veins and breathing through her.

“Just clear your mind. Become one with Andorus,” even if Teron stood at her side, his voice came to her as if from afar.

Tula was not in a cage, for she was the tree. She felt its roots digging deep into the ground and reaching out to the whole island. Tula was one with Andorus.

“That's it, child. I can feel our powers flowing through the Viva Tree. Let them extend into the land. Begin the rebirth of Andorus.”

Tula let those words carry her away until she lost perception of her own body. She was a spirit in the trunk, and the powers of the Viva Tree guided her down into the ground. As she floated away she felt the land reborn. She caressed the rotten seedsand watch them blossom into flowers. She felt the grass cut through the dark earth like thousand green blades. She felt leaves grew back over the branches, she could smell the flowers and the fruits. She had been trained to bring death, and now it was life she carried within her. It was blissful, it was-

“So beautiful,” she heard herself say. “I can feel the very treetops.”

“Try to reach for the deepest roots,” Teron's voice answered from miles away.

She did, diving down into the dirt, down where the ground was moist, down until she reached the water. And then she was floating in the river, her river, Tula was one with the Randor. Her light breached through the darkness in the water, clearing it, cleansing it from the decay that had taken over.

Although she could sense there was something else lurking in the water. 

“What's wrong, my child?” Teron spoke as if reading her mind.

It was approaching.

“A presence,” she managed to say before claws wrapped around her neck. “Smothering me!”

She could not see it, but she could smell it. It reeked of rot and pestilence. For a heartbeat, the claws let go of her neck, but then something smashed into her, forcing its way inside.

Not once in her life, Tula had ever felt such devastating pain.

“Teron!” she bellowed.

She heard Teron scream her name.

“No,” she shouted, as the presence gnawed at her, teeth and nails ripping her apart. “No, no, no.”

Teron screamed again, and somehow Tula managed to open her eyes.

She was back inside her own body, back into the Viva Tree. Her hands where on her face, and she looked at them as she peeled them away. Those hands couldn't be hers. They were grey and wrinkled.

Tula screamed with all the force she could muster, and as she screamed another voice echoed from afar, calling her name.

She knew that voice.

He had come, too late.

Tula crashed to the ground and everything went dark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Ren**

 

First, it was new clothes, and now she was riding a dagron.

Ioz had shouted the moment he had caught sight of Niddler being chased by a dagron. They had been about to cast off and help Niddler in any way they could when Tula had appeared from nowhere riding a dagron herself.

For the life of him, Ren had not been able to look away as she spurred the beast towards the other dagron flying after Niddler, and he had watched when Tula's dagron had yanked the rider from his saddle and dropped him down into the sea.

Tula had not come back. She had headed northward, followed by Niddler and two more dagrons. Ren had been left with no other choice than to steer the Wraith after them, while Ioz kept a lookout for the Maelstrom.

“They're heading for that landfall!” Ioz shouted after what had felt like days of sailing. There was something strange in his voice, something Ren did not like.

“What is it?”

“Here, have a look yourself,” said Ioz handing him the watchglass.

Ren could not believe what he saw. The island was still no more than a thin line in the distance, and yet he could make out the devastation of it.

Untold secrets, dagron riding, a mad run straight to a ravaged land. Once again, Tula had a lot of explaining to do.

“By the two moons,” Re cried out, staying his hand before he could fling the watchglass overboard. It was the only one they had after all. “What's wrong with Tula?”

“Her and that lunatic friend of hers,” Ioz shook his head. “Chongo, we can always leave them behind.”

Ren turned to look at his shipmate.

Ioz shrugged. “Or maybe not.”

The smell of cinder and decay carried by the wind assaulted him as the Wraith sailed to the wasteland.

While they dropped anchor, his eyes flicked around, and Ren shivered when the realization struck him. Dark Water, there could not be any other reason for that wreckage.

“By Kunda,” Ioz grunted as he wrinkled his nose. “This shore is as barren as a viper pit.”

Ren was about to answer when the Compass came alive.

“Ioz, look!” he said as he cupped the amulet in his hands. The blue light shone as bright as the sun, but for some reasons, it did not point to anywhere.

“There must be a Treasure! Unless it's gone haywire?”

So, was that the reason why Tula had come to that forsaken place?

“I'm not sure,” said Ren.

Ioz clicked his tongue. “Scupango... Pirates, and magic and-”

“Ren!” a squawk echoed from the sky. “Ioz!”

When Ren looked up he had expected to see Niddler heading for the Wraith. What left him gaping was the sight of Niddler's arms crossed in front of his chest, holding what seemed to be a bunch of minga melons.

“I've got lunch, dinner, and snacks for a week!” Niddler announced. “This place is minga melon heaven!”

“Niddler, what in the twenty-” he started to say before Niddler cut him off.

“It must be Teron and Tula!” Niddler landed on the deck. When he opened his arms the minga melons scattered over the deck. “He said he knew a way to help Andorus! And they made it!”

“Andorus?” Ren gasped. And suddenly he understood.

Teron had told him nothing was left of Andorus, but Ren had not fully believed him. He should have, he could see it now.

“Noy jitat, no wonder this place looks like a viper pit,” said Ioz. “Right in the mouth of the snake.”

“Do you know where they are, Niddler?” Ren asked, dashing across the deck.

“That I do,” Niddler flew after him. “Tula told me to wait for you. It's easy Ren, we must follow the blossoming trees!”

“Did you drink a jar of seawater, monkeybird?” grunted Ioz. “Blossoming trees?”

“Follow me!” was everything Niddler answered before launching into the thick ensemble of black and rotten tree trunks that must have once been a forest.

They trailed behind him, but Ren stopped dead in his track when something green flickered in the distance. Niddler had not lost his mind, the trees were blossoming.

“So Teron was wrong,” Ren said as they walked on. “He knew a way to save Andorus after all.”

“He did,” Niddler said. “But he couldn't do it without Tula!”

“You don't make sense, monkeybird,” snarled Ioz. “You know what's happening? Then speak!”

Niddler scowled for a moment but then he went back to smiling, and his voice was full of wonder when he spoke next. “Teron couldn't do it alone, he needed the help of another ecomancer. Tula. Tula is an ecomancer.”

Ren's heart leaped into his throat.

_I'll tell you, Ren._

“I can't believe it!”

He looked at Ioz, but his face showed nothing but confusion.

“Believe it!” Niddler chirped, flappinghis wings in the air. “I was there!”

As if in answer to that, a pile of dark twigs morphed into a beautiful bush dotted with a hundred violet flowers.

“Powerful forces are at work,” said Ioz, his eyes as big as the moons.

“Powerful and delicious forces!” answered Niddler.

Ren cupped the Compass in his hands. The blue light still shone and it still did not point to anywhere.

“I wonder if it has anything to do with this?”

“Teron!” the scream came from afar, and at the sound, Ren's blood froze in his veins. He knew that voice, and before he could realize what he was doing, he found himself dashing to the direction the sound had come from.

“No!” she hollered again. “No, no, no!”

“Tula!” Ren shouted her name.

Somebody else was screaming, Teron.

 _I'm coming._ Ren clenched his teeth and ran faster. He stumbled over a root, the impact against the ground knocked the air out of his lungs, but he was quickly back on his feet. _I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming._

He was barely aware of the space around him until a gigantic tree trunk and two figures in front of it appeared. Ren instantly recognized Teron. He was kneeling beside an old woman who lay on the ground, her white hair spilled around her head. No trace of Tula.

“Where is-” Ren had started to ask before his heart sunk in his chest.

He would not have recognized her if not for her clothes. But that could not be. That old wrinkled woman was not the beautiful girl who had made him forget his own name the day before. 

Ren dropped down to his knees, brushed a lock of white hair from her eyes and studied her face. The wrinkles hadravaged the beautiful lines of her face, but there was no denying it was her.

He heard Niddler screech from behind him, and Ioz cursed a couple of seconds later.

“Teron,” Ren's voice was no more than a low growl. “What's happened to Tula?”

“She was using her powers when she was attacked,” the ecomancer's face was covered in sweat and he panted as he spoke. “It could only have been one thing, the Blight.” He shifted closer till he was standing beside him. “Hold her still, Ren.”

Teron placed his hands on Tula's head and closed his eyes.

Blue flames ignited around his hands and slowly spread all around her head, sliding down her body until she was completely engulfed.

Ren felt her shake in his arms and then saw it. The color flowed back into her hair, a darker shade of grey first, and finally black as the night sky. The wrinkles too dissolved into the smooth round lines of her beautiful face.

Teron's hands lingered one more instant on her head, but when he removed them the Tula he had known was back there.

As Teron collapsed to the ground, Tula shifted in Ren's arms and moaned before she slowly opened her eyes. They were still as green as emeralds and they flicked over the sky, unfocused before they locked into his.

“Ren?” was everything she said, her voice a weak whisper.

“Welcome back,” he almost choked with the relief. “How do you feel?”

“ _Ni_ _a,_ ” she blinked a couple times. “I've never felt anything like that before,” she tried to haul herself into a sitting position before she collapsed back down. Ren caught her before she hit the ground.

“Relax, my child,” said Teron. “You are still weak from the Blight's attack.”

“Who's this Blight, anyway?” Ren wished his own voice would sound gentler.

Tula made another attempt to sit straight, and he helped her up, still refusing to let her go. She laid her head on his shoulder.

“A spirit of disease and pestilence,” Teron answered. “Years ago we ecomancers banished him to the underworld, where I thought he'd perished. Obviously, the Dark Water has revived him.”

“Let's hope he stays down there!” said Niddler, laying a hand on Tula's knee.

“Unfortunately, he's not the only thing below us,” said Teron. “So is the Third Treasure of Rule.”

“What?” Ioz snapped.

“The Third...” Ren was confused. “How do you know?”

“Because I hid it.”

Tula raised her head from Ren's shoulder. “Teron, what?”

“You see, prince Ren, I was one of your father's seven captains.”

Ren felt his mouth drop open and did not bother to close it.

“Well, is this a day for surprises!” commented Ioz.

“Then why won't the Compass point to it?” Ren asked.

“Because this Treasure is under a spell.”

“A spell?”

“If you follow me, prince Ren, I'll show you the way to get to it.”

Andorians and their secrets.

Ren wondered if there was anything else Teron had forgotten to mention, but he decided not dwell too much on that. He nodded, scooped Tula into his arms and followed Teron.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up on March 23.


	24. Andorus (4 of 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on working on this chapter a little every day during the past week, but nothing seems to go according to plans recently, so I found myself editing the whole chapter yesterday and doing some last minute edits this morning. This chapter didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted it to be, but I worked on it so long yesterday I can't really look at it right now without feeling sick XD
> 
> I might still do some more edits later, but for the moment being, I hope you'll enjoy it!

**Ren**

 

 

It was no wonder Andorians used to live in the trees. Even after the scourge of Dark Water, the trunks looked massive and strong. Their branches were so thick and long, Ren could easily imagine building a house up there. As he could imagine how the loss of all of that must have pained Tula and Teron.

He was from a devastated land too, but the fall of Octopon had happened when he still was too young to remember. The sorrow was so plain to see on both Teron's and Tula's face. If Tula had masked it in the past, she didn't bother with that anymore. She kept her eyes low for the first part of their long walk through the dead forest, and finally, she buried her face in the crook of Ren's neck as he carried her.

Then the remaining of the trees started to dissipate. Slowly, Teron led them toa clearing where an immense hole lay in the center of the dark ground.

As Ren got closer and peered inside, a cold shiver went down his spine. It was dark down there, so dark he couldn't see the bottom, and the first shiver was soon followed by a second. Ren knew the next part of their journey would be down there.

“I can stand on my own now,” Tula whispered, and he placed her down.

“What kind of place is this?” asked Ioz, keeping the distance from the hole.

“Here is the hole that leads to the Treasure,” said Teron.

Ren was not surprised.

“Noy jitat,” Ioz scowled, rubbing a hand over his face. “Then let's get started.”

“I'm afraid you can't go,” Teron added. “Only Ren can retrieve the Treasure.”

It was Ren's time to scowl. “Why is that?”

“According to the spell, the Treasure will appear only to a member of the house of Primus, and only if he's alone.”

“Really?” Niddler cheered, spreading his wings. It was an involuntary reaction, and he immediately tucked his neck into his shoulders. “I mean, that's...” his eyes flicked around the group. “That's terrible!”

“There must be a way we can help,” said Tula. There was something akin to a plea in her voice that sounded so out of place. 

“There is one way, my child,” Teron answered. “You and I can be with him in spirit, through the Viva Tree.”

“And the Blight?”

For less than a heartbeat, Ren could see the fear on her face.

“You'd have to keep your guard up at all times,” Teron warned.

“I say don't take the chance, Tula!” It was Ioz who had spoken.

She turned to glare at him. Her chest rose once before she spoke, “I'll do whatever I have to, to help Ren.”

“You don't have to, Tula,” Ren said.

She looked at him now, her face visibly softening. “I won't abandon you now.”

His whole body responded to those words, andsuddenly the burning desire to take her and the others back to the Wraith and away from there flared in his chest like wildfire. “I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be,” was everything he said instead.

Ioz approached him, a dark vine which dangled from one of the treetops in his hand. He handed it to him. “Good luck, my friend.”

Ren nodded and grabbed the vine.

“Come, child,” said Teron to Tula, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Back to the Viva Tree. He'll need all the help we can give.”

“You know I'd come with you if I could,” peeped Niddler, as Ren walked to the edge of the hole. “Really, I would!”

“Next time, monkeybird.” Ren answered. “This party is all mine.”

Ren tug at the vine a couple of times to make sure it would not break under his weight and then started his climb down into the darkness.

It was humid down there, and the stench of rotten wood engulfed him as he slid down into the cave. In the dim light he could make out the shapes of tiny bridges and tunnels that no doubt were the work of men, but no life could be found down there anymore. The cave was as dead as the rest of Andorus.

The vine Ioz had handed him was long, one of the longest Ren had ever seen, but still not long enough to reach the ground. Everything Ren could do was to let go of it, hoping to aim right enough to land on solid rocks. One small mistake and the cave would turn into his grave, that was not exactly a comforting thought. If only Niddler could have come with him.

Ren took a deep breath, perhaps his last, and let go of the vine. He almost screamed when his feet landed on the hard stone, and it took some time for him to find the strength to stand back up on his legs.

“I hope it'll be easier getting out than it is getting in,” he said to himself as he took a step forward.

The rocks under his feet cracked and went tumbling down into the darkness. Ren was fast enough to jump up and seize another vine hanging from the cave.

“I guess not,” he stuttered, as his heart slammed against his chest.

Ren shot a look at the tiny bridge in front of him, the wood looked so rotten no man with half the wit of a barnacle should have ever attempted to cross it. He took a look behind his back, and then around him. The bridge was everything that stood between him and the Third Treasure of Rule.

One step, Ren thought as he started to cross the bridge, slowly, testing every plank before transferring his weigh to it. Two steps, three steps he was not even halfway through, but little by little he would be. Ren would have given anything to have Niddler carrying him on the other side. He wondered what wouldn't he give for owning a pair of wings himself.

It was while he was musing about flapping his own pair of wings that he forgot to check the next plank. First, he heard the crash, and then his foot was slipping down through a hole in the wood.

“Scupango!” he cursed, yanking his foot back up.

To the abyss going slowly, Ren had to get on the other side as soon as he could. And he did not bother testing any other plank as he sped across the swinging bridge. Kunda must have been on his side, cause he made it to the other side.

Ren threw himself on the ground, and almost kissed it. He was alive, for the moment being. He closed his eyes as he lay there, relishing the feeling of the steady rock under his back.

“Ren!” a voice called from afar, echoing in the hollowness of the cave.

“Noy jitat!” Ren startled.

“It's Teron,” the voice answered. “Tula and I are with you.”

Ren breathed in. “Good!” he shouted back into the cave. Whether they could hear him or not he couldn't say, but it was a heartwarming feeling to know he was not buried down there alone. At least in spirit.

He stood up on shaky legs and moved on into a tunnel.

It was so dark Ren could barely see an inch ahead of him and he did not know how far he walked before he found himself at a cross. A tree had grown there in the middle, it was as dark as the ones above, but that was not was made Ren's blood freeze in his veins. Dozens of skeletons laid on the floor, the remains of the clothes they had worn in life so similar to the ones Teron wore. Andorian clothes.

“I wonder if the Blight had anything to do with this?” he asked out loud, and then he found himself imagining somebody venturing down into the cave and finding, together with the bones of the Andorians, another skeleton clad in western clothes and a beautiful blue gem resting on the chest.

He shut the grim image out of his mind and looked around him. Five tunnels lay before him, they were all the same and he could not afford to make the wrong decision.

“Teron,” he screamed to the darkness. “Where do I go?”

“On your right, my child,” Teron's voice answered. Ren did as the ecomancer said.

He did not have to walk long before he found himself in front of another fragile looking bridge. Ren wondered what would happen if he decided to go back up; after all, if Teron had sealed the Treasure under a spell, he could maybe alter the spell in order to let the heir of Primus adventure down there with the company of a monkeybird.

Ren shook his head, that was the lighthouse keeper talking. He was the future king of Octopon, he had to be brave enough to face whatever stood in front of him alone. And after battling the Constrictus alone, he could cross a jitatin bridge on his own.

Ren took a deep, long breath and once again, coiled his fingers around the fragile looking rails and slid a foot on the bridge. He could not see the bottom of the pit from where he stood suspended over the abyss, he tried not to look down and he tried not to think about the fact his life hanged from a couple of half-rotten vines.

“Faster, Ren!” the scream came from the walls of the cave. It was not Teron's voice this time. It was Tula's.

Before he could fully understand the warning, something snapped behind him and before he could take a look behind to see what had happened he felt the bridge crash down.

Everything happened too fast for him to register. One moment he was falling down to his grave, the next he felt something wrap around his torso, and he whimpered when his fall was abruptly stopped.

He studied the thing that had just saved him, while his hands coiled around it and held it tight. It was a thick root sprouting from the wall of the cave. Unlike the darkened and rotten roots and vines that populated the place, this felt alive and gleamed with a soft blue light.

“Hold on!” Tula's strained voice shouted, and Ren felt the root pull him up.

It brought him all the way up until he lay safe on the ground. Ren crashed his face into the dirt and kissed it.

“Thanks, Tula!” he murmured, hoping she could hear.

Ren allowed himself a moment of rest before he found the strength to stand on his feet again. His hand went to the Compass, he squeezed the gem and kept on walking forward.

Two more tunnels stood in front of him. He didn't need to ask Teron which he should take, somehow this time he knew he had to turn right again.

The curse echoed in the hollow cave after Ren saw what stood in front of him. The solid ground ended to give way to an abyss of darkness, and on the other side of it was a door, the lock gleamed in the dark, and Ren knew the Treasure was behind it.

It didn't take him long to realize that the only way to get on the other side was to jump up and get hold of the vines dangling in a perfect line over the void. Since Ren did not have those wings he so longed for, in the end, he would need to swing himself to the other side.

“When you hide something, Teron, you don't fool around,” he growled to the cave. “Do you?”

No answer came, and Ren cursed one more time before seizing the first vine and jumping into the darkness. He had managed to launch himself hard enough to get close to the second vine, but when the moment came to let go of the first one, he couldn't find the courage. Ren felt himself sway back from where he started.

He sighed at the sensation of the solid rock under his feet. He did not remember when it was the last time he had indulged on ale, but he promised himself a good drink if he ever got out of there, and without thinking too much he seized the vine again and jumped.

Ren didn't know how he found the courage to the let go of the first vine to catch the other, but he did. And when he stood there swaying on top of the abyss he knew there was no way back. He took a breath and, with the help of his legs, propelled himself forward. One time, two times, three, until he reached far enough to grab the third vine. The thought of what might happen had one of the vines snapped surfaced from a dark place of his mind, but Ren shoved it back down as he swayed from a vine to the other.

His arms were burning by the time he got hold of the last vine, and his stomach muscles screamed in pain as he launched himself onto the safe ground, but in the end, he made it.

Ren landed on the edge and made sure to roll away from it until he slammed into the wooden door with the shiny lock.

That was the moment when the realization hit him hard. A lock; he didn't have a key.

“This looks like a dead end to me, Teron,” he said.

“It is not, Prince Ren,” Teron answered from afar. “You have the key.”

Ren took a moment to study the lock, it was too thin for the Compass to fit, and he was still shaken for facing death so many times already.

“I don't have time for riddles now, Teron.”

“The sword, my child,” the ecomancer answered. “Your father's sword.”

The broken sword, of course, it had to be it.

He reached for the weapon still secured at his belt and slid it into the lock. For a moment nothing happened, but then with a scraping noise, the door began to move.

The gem stood on top of an altar, and had it not been for its blue light, Ren would have been completely blind.

The smell of rot and decay was almost overwhelming there, reason enough for Ren to hurry and get away. He vowed to avoid forests and bridges in the near future.

The Treasure was enclosed in a cage of black branches weaved together, leaving spaces large enoughthat Ren had just to slide his hand in to retrieve the gem.As the other two Treasures, this too felt cold and soothing in his hands.

“He found it!” Tula's voice resonated in the cave, and Ren smiled.

“Guess I'm ready to go,” he announced, not looking forward to the journey back.

He had not even taken a step when Tula's scream breached through, “Teron!”

Ren froze. Something was wrong, he could feel it too.

“Teron!” Tula screamed again.

Her scream this time was joined by the sound of branches cracking and rustling behind him.

“Ren!” it was his name she shouted now. “Quick! Get out!”

Somehow Ren knew it was already too late to run. A growl that had nothing remotely human to it echoed from behind, and Ren turned to face whatever had appeared behind him as he once again retrieved his sword from his belt.

The Treasure in his hand cast its light onto the altar, where there was no trace of the cage of dark branches surrounding it anymore, cause it had morphed into a monster. When it opened its jaw to growl at him, Ren was hit by the stomach-churning stench of decay. He did not need to ask Teron to know what that monster was.

The Blight raised one of its branches and shot it towards Ren. He acted quickly, his sword hissed in the air, slicing the branch in two. A sickening yellow fluid oozed from the stump, but it did not take long before the thing healed back and wrapped around his neck.

It did not squeeze hard. Ren could still breathe, and for a second he wondered how the Blight had planned to kill him when he found himself bellowing in pain.

There was a flame inside of him, scorching, wrecking him, smothering him.

Someone screamed in the distance. It was Tula's voice. She had been nothing more than a decayed old woman when he scooped her up in his arms.

Tula screamed again, but this time the Blight bellowed too. A wrenching, deafening sound.

As the sweat trickled down his face, Ren forced himself to open his eyes, and he was blinded by the light in the cave.

It was like thousand blue flames, and he panicked at thought of dying in a fire. It was not long before he realized the flames where not devouring what they touched, they were bringing everything back to life. Everything except the Blight which seemed to be shrinking in size as he trashed and squirmed. The flames flared and roared, unrelenting, their light taking over the darkness of the cave, and Ren could smell the sea, the flowers, the grass. And on top of everything her scent.

The Blight screeched one last time before the blue fire engulfed it. The branches holding onto Ren let go of him, and he crashed down on the hard floor of the cave.

There was a piercing crash,and before Ren had time to even start to worry about what that might mean, thewhole cave trembled and another earsplitting sound filled the air. The sound of a thousand stones crashing down.

The cave was collapsing.

It was useless to run, Ren was still too weak from the attack and even if he could stand on his own legs, he didn't have any way out anymore. He was trapped.

He laid his head against the trembling wall of the cave, thinking that there were worse ways to go after all. He had faced them. Bloth, the Constrictus, the Blight. Being crushed under a rock seemed like a mercy after all.

Ren closed his eyes thinking about what he would not do to have a chance to see the light of the sun again. To fill his lungs with salty air again.

An instinct made him reach for the Compass.

The realization dawned on him, and suddenly everything Ren wanted to do was screaming.

He would not just die down in the cave, the whole of Mer would die after him. The first three Treasures of Rules and the Compass would be buried with him. He wondered how long would it take for his shipmates to get enough men to dig them up.

Ren placed the Third Treasure in the pouch together with the others, and tears started to well up in his eyes. That was the end of Mer, and the fault was his. He had failed Octopon, his father, his crew. Ren had failed the whole planet.

The floor cracked, and when Ren thought that was the end, a massive root engulfed in blue flames sprouted from it. In a heartbeat, it coiled around Ren's torso and legs and, smooth as a leviathan in the morning sea, brought him up and up again towards the ceiling of the cave.

Ren had a moment to think he would crash against it when a hole opened in the darkness, and he almost shouted when the view of the morning sky appear before his eyes, blinding him after dwelling in the darkness for so long.

The root dashed through the cave as he heard the walls collapse around him, and when the breeze of the sea caressed his skin, Ren collapsed on the grass and breathed in the smell of life like a starving man.

He did not know what had happened to Teron, he could not say whether the Blight had managed to hurt him, or worse, but one thing he knew. Tula had saved him. She was alive somewhere on the island and she had defeated the Blight.

“You always knew how to make an entrance!”

Ren raised his head and found Bloth's white face grinning down at him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be probably up on April 4. I'll update you here if there's any change.
> 
> UPDATE: So, I moved abroad but things here aren't going as smoothly as I had planned (quite the contrary in fact) I had neither the time nor the energy to work on the next chapter and unfortunately, at the moment I can't say when I'll manage to post it. I'll keep you up to date here.
> 
> UPDATE 2: I know it's been a while but I'm back on track, the next chapter will be up on Monday 23 (might be even before, but I definitely cannot promise)
> 
> UPDATE 3 (27/05/2018): I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to disappear like this. My life has been crazy recently, and besides I realized I don't like the next chapter so I don't feel ready to publish it. I promise you, I'll try to write as much as I can during the upcoming week, and to post the new chapter as fast as I can. After that, I might be able to go back to my regular publishing schedule. Again, I apologize for the long wait, and thanks to all the ones who have left comments meanwhile. It might take me a while to publish, but I swear I won't abandon this story.
> 
> UPDATE 4 (12/06/2018): THE NEXT CHAPTER OF ANDORUS WILL BE UP ON SUNDAY 17


	25. Andorus (5 of 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't my intention to delay this update, but I've had the craziest couple of months of my entire life (not joking, but that's a long story).  
> I thought I was ready to post this chapter, but in the end, when I went to reread it, I found out that I hated it and had to rewrite it all over again. 
> 
> I'll be honest, I still kinda dislike this chapter, but I had to get it out of the way to move on with the story. I have made a lot of changes from the show and added an extra scene in the end.  
> As I said, I don't particularly like it, but I still hope you'll enjoy reading it (and if not, let's all forget this chapter ever happened and let's move on to the next one :P )

**Ren**

 

The blade was cold against his neck, and with every breath, Ren felt it sink into his skin. One wrong movement, just one, and the knife would slice his throat. But that was not the reason Ren did not dare to move a muscle.

Bloth and his men had captured Ioz and Niddler, and they were now standing dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, their hands and feet tied together. Ren had seen enough to know there was nothing below but water and jagged rocks.

Ioz was the only one they had gagged, and it hadn't taken long for Ren to realize why. Even in the face of death, Ioz did not show any fear. Niddler, on the other hand, kept on begging for his life.

Bloth kneeled down until his ugly face was close to Ren's ear. “Tell me, Son of Primus. Which one is better, death by drowning or crashing on a rock?”

Bile rose to the back of Ren's throat. “Take me, Bloth, is me you want.”

Bloth's sickening mouth spread into a grin. “I have you, right where I want you. As I have your...” he paused. “Crew.”

Bloth's men snorted at that.

“Now, boy,” Bloth went on. “Tell me where to find Teron.”

“Find him yourself,” Ren growled.

Bloth shook his head. “Konk, reveal to the prince the delicacy of his friends' position.”

“Yes, master!” the piglet grunted and limped towards his crewmates.

A dagger in his hand, Konk poked Niddler's back. His tormented squawks hurt more than the Blight. “Ren, please!” Niddler screeched.

“Where is he?” Bloth asked again.

“Ren, maybe if you give him a general location?” Niddler pleaded.

“I'll ask once more, boy. Where is Teron?”

“Ren!”

Ren couldn't do it, he opened his mouth.

“Leave while your legs can carry you, Bloth!”

His heart jumped to his throat. Ren had not just hoped and deceived himself in vain, the Blight had not killed her, she was standing there, still as stone, ready to fight.

“You,” was everything Bloth replied.

“Me,” she echoed.

Slowly, Bloth's chest swelled, and Ren could have sworn he saw him struggling for words. “You've picked the wrong fight, girl. I have my top swordsmen with me.”

“Thank you, master!” grunted Konk.

Bloth's eyes snapped to the piglet. “And Konk, too.”

The smile washed away from Konk's ugly face.

“If you fight us you'll die, and we don't want such a waste to happen, now do we?” Bloth said. “I can be a merciful man, Tula. Yield, join me and live. My proposition is still valid. But I can promise you, this is the last time I'll make such offer.”

“Merciful,” Tula seemed to taste the word on her tongue before she nodded. “I'll repay the favor, Bloth, so here's my proposition: release my shipmates, and I will let you and your men depart my land alive.”

Bloth's mouth curved down into a snarl. “Teach this wench the lesson of her brief life!”

With that his men attacked.

She was one against three. One against three and worn out by the fight against the Blight. Ren felt his wrists burn from the friction against the rope and yet he did not stop yanking at them. 

All together, sword in hand, the pirates lunged.

And the jolt of panic was cold and sharp in his chest when Ren realized Tula did not have a single weapon on her. He felt something slick coating his wrists, a burning pain soon joined and yet the rope refused to give up.

Tula did not move. She stood there, still as a rock as the men dashed towards her.

Everything happened so fast.

The first man lashed his sword at her; she dodged once, twice, caught his wrist on the third time, locked his punch coming from the right as her knee connected to his groin. The man collapsed just enough for her to knee him in the chin and get hold of his sword to parry a lash coming from the second man.

And parrying was everything she could do against the two pirates lashing at her like their meaningless lives depended on it.

Ren screamed as the rope cut deeper into his skin. He watched helplessly as Tula slowly backed up, till her back was against a tree trunk.

One of the men raised his sword high above his head and brought it down. Tula dodged in time for the blade to get stuck into the wood. Then, instead of lashing with her weapon, Tula let it drop to the ground and placed her hands behind her, over the tree trunk. The blue light sparkled right after; Ren watched it engulf the whole tree and felt his jaw drop as the branches started to writhe like eels.

A snarl was on Tula's face when the branches shot through the air and, like snakes with a prey, wrapped themselves around the pirates. The pirates could only scream when they were lifted off the ground.

More branches then followed behind coming for Bloth and Konk too.

Bloth cursed and seemed unable to move as the branches coiled around his hands and held him still as some more branches, like hands, retrieved the Compass from his neck and the pouch containing the Treasures from his waistband.

Then, somehow, Tula willed the branches to carry Bloth and his crewmates over the edge of the cliff where they were dropped down into the water.

The power of an ecomancer. Ren was lost for words.

It was when Tula collapsed to the ground that the branches retreated back to the tree.

Unable to do much, Ren stood up and limped to where she was lying. He kneeled down beside her and could not help but feel pathetic with his hands tied up behind his back.

Tula raised her head, a gleaming layer of sweat covered her forehead.

“Great work, Tula!” Ren said.

“Yes!” barked Ioz, as his heavy steps echoed over the ground. “Not bad for a beginner!”

Tula's lips spread into a weak smile. “Coming from you, Ioz, I'll take that as a compliment!”

“Don't get used to that,” he mumbled, his eyes suddenly trained on the grass. “What are you waiting for, wench? Come, untie me!”

Tula wiped the sweat off her face, her hands feeling the grass in search for something. King Primus' sword gleamed in the sun and cut into the ropes like butter.

“I have to go back to Teron,” was everything Tula said once they were all free.

Ren nodded and offered her a hand, her eyes lingered on his wrist coated in blood before she took it and let him lift her up. She was still visibly unstable on her feet, but before he could offer his own body to lean on, Niddler was flapping above her.

“I'll take you, Tula!”

She spread her arms and Ren just watched as Niddler clawed his paws around her shoulders and flew her away.

 

* * *

 

Teron was worn by the whole trial against the Blight, but as Andorus blossomed back into a green wonder,the ecomancer regained his strength. Somehow Teron looked younger, he could hold his back straight and walk without leaning on the walking cane.

They decided to spend some days in Andorus to regain their strength. It was not as long as Ren would have loved to, but Bloth was still a threat, the Dark Water still lurked the seas, and they had to move on onto the next Treasure of Rule.

The sun shone high and warm the day they set to cast off. The sight of the rays brushing over the leaves of the Viva Tree had something mesmerizing that had Ren wonder why everything of Andorus must be so alluring.

“Are you sure you won't come with us, Teron?” he asked instead.

The ecomancer smiled as he shook his head. “No, my work is here,” he answered before facing Tula. “Besides, you already have your ecomancer,” he placed a hand on her cheek and gave it a gentle squeeze. “And with practice, she'll only get stronger.”

“Thank you, Teron,” she said before lowering her eyes in what Ren thought was respect.

“If Andorus still thrives is thanks to you, my child.”

“How will we get the others? How will we get them back here? Where are they?”

“Don't fear, Tula, they'll come back-” Teron stopped mid-sentence, and for a moment his eyes darted to Ren. When he opened his mouth again, it was Andorian he spoke.

Tula's eyes snapped to the top of the Viva Tree, a hand slowly rose to cover her neck. She then opened her mouth to say something but hesitated.

Teron sighed, the smile still lingering over his lips, and kneeled down to pick up a flower as yellow as the sunrise. Rising from the ground was visibly harder on him, and yet the smile was still on his face when Teron stood back up and gently tucked the flower behind her ear.

He said something, Tula nodded and, after a short moment of hesitation, she hugged him.

She then turned to Ren, some emotion he could not read wason her face. “Let's set sail!”

The sails caught the winds and the Wraith lunged into the open sea.

“Farewell, Teron!” Ren shouted from the deck.

The ecomancer raised a hand in the air to salute them. “Farewell, my children!”

 

* * *

 

They were blessed with a smooth sea. Ren and Ioz took turns at the wheel while Tula and Niddler tended to the sails. Somehow Ren could not keep himself from shooting looks behind his shoulders until Andorus was no more than a small dot over the horizon.

It was dusk when Ioz suggested to drop anchor and resume the sailing on the next day; Ren did not object to that. He was worn by the hours of sailing and he had enough strength left to walk to his bunk before he collapsed on it. It felt blissful to finally lay down, but sleep would not come. Ren twisted and turned for hours before he finally decided to get up and have a walk above deck.

Tula was seated over the taffrail, still as stone, her hair swirling and floating in the wind. She didn't notice when he sat down next to her, her eyes trained over the black water.

“You'll be back one day,” he said.

Tula jumped at the sound of his voice. At first, her eyes bore into his but then they darted away in the distance, and for a moment Ren feared she might not want to talk to him.

Although, after taking a long breath, she spoke, “I cannot be what they want me to be. They will learn the truth, they'll learn what I am, and-” she shook her head.

“And what?” Ren glided closer to her.

Tula bit her bottom lip as her chest rose high.

“You're not just an ecomancer,” he said that out loud for her. “You're more than that. You're like Teron, am I right?”

Her silence was all the answer he needed.

“The gift comes with a price, is this what upsets you?”

Tula closed her eyes. “Training with Daron was hard, painful, more than often humiliating.” A sad smile appeared on her face. “But it was everything I wanted because it was my way to freedom. Freedom. Once you make sure nobody can harm you, once you know how to survive on your own, you're free. I've worked so hard to get where I am. I'm free.” She paused to gaze at the sea. “Accepting my fate as supreme ecomancer would mean bind myself to the Viva Tree, bind myself to Andorus as Teron has,” she shook her head. “I'm not a tree, I don't have roots and I don't want them. I cannot be what I'm meant to be.”

It was Ren's turn to gaze at the sea before he decided to speak.

“I used to sneak behind Jenna's back after sunset and row my boat to the old town of Octopon. I loved spending the nights there, with the other villagers. We used to drink, sing, play games and laugh until the break of dawn. The older folks at times told stories while we sat around the bonfire, and that's how one day I heard the tale of a young boy who escaped his mundane life to sail away into the unknown,” he paused to brush a lock of black hair from her face. “Does that sound familiar?”

Tula's smile sparked something warm into his chest.

“I was hypnotized as I learned about his adventures, and the more I thought about that story, the more I despised my life in the lighthouse. All I wanted was to sail away and write my own adventure. Then, one day I rescued a man from the sea, and you know about the rest. All I want was adventures, I've never asked for a crown. I might be Primus' rightful heir but I-” Ren sucked in air. He hadn't told a soul about the way he truly felt, he had yet to admit it to himself. Why was he telling her now?

He exhaled and pressed on. “I fear what will come once my quest is over, what will happen the day I'll bring the last of the Thirteen Treasures to Octopon if that day will ever come. What would be of my life after that?”

Ren was not brave enough to look at Tula as he went on. “All of this is to say that I can understand you, Tula. Allow me to tell you one more thing though, Andorus has its supreme ecomancer and there might be more after Teron and you. You don't have to bind yourself to Andorus, if that's not your wish.”

Tula closed her eyes, her voice was just a whisper that went almost unheard in the wind. “They'll never understand, Ren.”

“They don't have to.”

For a moment she stared at him without saying anything, then she lowered her eyes.

“That said,” Ren added. “There's a reluctant king who might need your powers to save the world.”

At that, Tula laughed. “He'll have them.”

“We're in this together, Tula.” Ren had to summon all of his courage to look at her in the eye as he spoke his next words. “Let's take care of each other.”

He watched as the little curve on Tula's lips blossomed into a beautiful smile. She reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. “Let's take care of each other.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter of A Drop of Darkness will be up on either Saturday 23 or Sunday 24!


	26. A Drop of Darkness (1 of 4)

**Tula**

 

Andorus was safe, Tula had kept true to her vow. She had rescued Teron from the Maelstrom, killed the Blight and helped Ren gather the third Treasure of Rule. She should have felt happy and proud of herself. She had tried.

_Sometimes a person's true calling comes when she least expects it._

True calling. Tula was an ecomancer.

All her life she had tried to hide it, all for nothing. Ren knew, Bloth knew; and worst of all, Teron knew.

Fine, she was an ecomancer, she could live with that. The power to control nature, the gift. She had it. Like her father. To Tula, being an ecomancer was everything but a gift, yet she would use it, she would learn to control it and to strengthen her powers. Because Andorus was safe but the rest of Mer still needed her. Ren needed her and she had vowed to stay by his side.

_It's not me you need is this Ren. Stay with Ren and help him save Mer!_

She could do it. She would do it.

The thing that she couldn't do, the thing that she would never accept, was the supreme power.

And why her? Tula would not spend the rest of her life bound to Andorus.

In response to that, a voice resounded in her head. Not just _a_ voice, Aldian's voice. Mocking her. _Where will you go, anyway?_

That was a legit question. Where would she go? She would stay with Ren until the end, but what after that?

The truth was bitter. She didn't have anywhere to go to. No place to call a home. And Tula shivered as another dreadful truth sunk in: Andorus was not her home anymore.

 _Here's your supreme ecomancer, Teron._ She thought. _Here's what she's doing with the gift. Here's the mother who abandons her children._

Why her? Why not Aldian? He was a fierce warrior and a skilled healer, he was cunning, brave and strong. So, why her? Why her?

_Where will you go?_

They would never understand.

_This is your homeland, don't leave it. Don't leave me._

“Shut up!” Tula growled out loud.

There was no other sound but the crashing of the waves against the hull and the soft chime of the winds. Around her was another beautiful island. Inhabited, uncontaminated, peaceful. They had decided to dock for one day before setting sail towards the next Treasure of Rule.

Tula sighed and unclenched her fist. A row of half-moons marked each palm, where her nails had buried. She flexed her shoulders, and could not help but grimace when she recognized the early signs of an oncoming headache.

She cursed. A headache was the last thing she needed. Maybe she could cure it with a good old jar of bitter ale. That thought made her smile, it was something Ioz would do. What would Teron do? What would Aldian do?

That was the moment she remembered the seeds and leaves she had collected before departing from Andorus. Among other things, she had gathered some _neshara_. The leaves were surely dry enough to be crushed and diluted in a cup of water. They would sooth the pain, that much she knew.

The leaves were in a pouch she had placed under her bunk, so she went to retrieve it. She opened the door to the sleeping quarters and ventured down the stairs.

The first thing Tula saw was his shirt on the floor, and then her eyes slid over Ren asleep on his bunk. He lay face down, his hair was loose and it encircled his head like a golden crown.

For nothing but a moment, she wondered how would Ren's body feel on top of hers. She pictured herself digging her nails into his naked back.

_What am I thinking?_

Tula shook her head, and a sharp pain lashed through her skull.

Good, she had to stay focused. She fetched the pouch from under her bunk, trying her best not make any noise, and trying her best not to look back at the prince of Octopon sprawled half naked on his bunk.

 

* * *

 

The _neshara_  leaves were more bitter than she remembered, and Tula had to chug the whole medicine down without letting it linger in her mouth. She didn't know how much time she spent there, perched on the railing, bathing in the sunlight as the sea breeze caressed her.

She did not open her eyes until the door of the sleeping quarters squeaked and a loud yawn resounded on the deck. Tula turned in time to see him stretch his arms.

“Top of the morning,” she said.

Ren flashed her a sleepy smile and joined her at the rail. He stretched again as he surveyed the deck. “Ioz and Niddler?”

“No sign of them, this is our chance to get away,” she winked.

“Niddler and Ioz stranded together on an island, I'd love to see that,” Ren rotated his neck. His hair bathed in the sunlight shone like gold, and Tula thought about running her hands through it.

“Are you well?” Ren was looking at her, his forehead creased.

“I have a headache,” she blurted out.

“A headache?” he parroted.

There was a sound of flapping wings, and a second later Niddler's squawks breached through the silence. “Ren! Tula! I have breakfast!” he announced from the sky. He landed in front of them, holding a pouch overfilled with red berries.

Niddler handed it to Tula. She scratched his head. “Thank you, Niddler!”

Ren reached for a berry. “Have you seen Ioz?”

“No. Time to set sail?” Niddler winked.

Tula barked a laugh. Her head protested, but she didn't mind. It felt good to laugh.

The pouch was empty by the time Ioz showed up. His hair was wet, and his baggy pants were the only thing he had on. They were damp as the blue jerkin he carried in his hands.

“By the two moons, Ioz! I can't believe my eyes!” Tula shouted. “You bathed!”

“Shut that mouth, woman,” was everything he answered.

“The pirate who talked like a princess and smelled like a rose.”

“I've said-”

“A great day to set sail!” Ren cut him off. “I wonder where the next Treasure will be.” He reached inside his shirt and raised the Compass to the sky. The blue beam pointed south.

“South it is!” said Ioz, taking the wheel. “Cast off, there's a Treasure we need to find!”

 

* * *

 

It was not until the morning of the second day of sailing that the blue light of the Compass steadily dropped until it clearly pointed to a spot under the sea. That was where they dropped anchor.

“What? No monsters? No cursed mountains or Blights?” said Ioz.

Ren scratched his head. “I guess it mustn't be hard every time... I'm going.”

He removed his shirt as he approached the railing.

“What? Alone?” asked Ioz. “What if something happens down there?”

Ren shrugged. “I'll scream for help.” And then he was gone.

“Reckless lad!” Ioz yelled at him.

Tula went to sit on the railing, looking down at the water; there was no trace of Ren. He was reckless indeed, and she fought against the urge to dive after him. Ren was not a helpless child who needed her protection, so she decided to slowly count to one-hundred; after that, she would jump into the water.

Ioz paced next to the railing, back and forth as the number grew higher and higher.

 _Eighty-one._ Where was him? _Eighty-two_. She heard Ioz grunting. _Eighty-three. Eighty-four._

“I don't like it!” Ioz was standing next to her.

She tapped her fingers on the rail. “Could be trouble.” _Eighty-seven. Eighty-eight._

“No one can hold their breath for that long!” squawked Niddler.

“That's it,” said Ioz lifting one leg over the railing. “I'm going after him.”

As in response, Ren emerged from under the water. He sucked in air and coughed, his chest rising and falling. When he looked up at them, he smiled.

Tula released a long breath as her all body relaxed.

“I've got it!” Ren shouted, raising a fist in the air. “I've got the Treasure!”

“It's about time!” said Ioz. “You're as slow as a sea slug!” He seized a rope and threw it down for Ren to grab.

Tula helped him pull Ren on board.

He was still smiling when he set his feet on the deck. “You needn't worry about me, Ioz!”

Ioz smiled. “Who said I was worried?”

Ren opened his fist to reveal the Treasure, and Tula almost gasped. Despite being the most beautiful gems she had ever seen, the first three Treasures were plain. This one was star-shaped and made of what must have been pure gold, finely polished and minutely carved. In the center of the golden star shone a stone of a deep shade of red.

“Isn't it a beauty?” asked Ren.

Unable to help herself, Tula snatched the Treasure from his hand.“It by far outshines all the others!”

Ioz stole the gem from her hand. He studied it as he kept it between two of his big fingers. “Not to mention, it's the biggest!”

“When am I gonna get to hold it?” Niddler protested.

Ioz scoffed. “You'd drop it straight into the mouth of a leviathan!”

Tula did not catch Niddler's answer. Ioz said something else but somehow she was past hearing her shipmates. Something felt wrong. She could sense it, the feeling of something crawling up her back. Something ready to snatch her. Something ready to attack and kill. It was watching them, approaching them.

This wasn't the first time she had felt like this.

“Tula,” Ren's fingers were pinching her chin, jerking her head up. She saw worry in his eyes. “Tula, is something wrong?”

“This feeling...” she said.

When had she felt like that before? Where?

 _Out of the water!_ It was Aldian's voice that shouted in her head. The river! It was in the Randor. She had felt that way right before...

“Dark Water!” she shouted. An instinct made her turn her head, and it was then that she saw the dark patch on top of the sea. “Dead ahead!”

“Ioz, hard to port!” Ren ordered as he launched himself to the capstan. Tula followed him and helped him rotate the wheel to lift the anchor.

The Wraith cast off as fast as a lightning bolt, way too fast for the Dark Water to catch them, but Tula had no time to be relieved.

“The Treasure!” Niddler screeched.

He had managed to get to hold it in the end, Ioz should have know better than to trust Niddler with the Treasure.

For a moment Tula stared in horror as the Treasure rolled across the deck, then she jumped into action. Unfortunately, Ren did the same, they crashed into each other as the gem kept on rolling towards the rail.

She was still laying on the deck when she saw Ren throwing himself at the rail, dropping down and sliding in between the bars. His feet hooked the bars, anchoring him to the safety of the Wraith.

 _Reckless boy_ , Tula thought as she ran together with Niddler. Together they dragged Ren back up.

“I got it!” Ren panted, clutching the gem tightly in his hand.

“No thanks to our fumbling feather-head!” roared Ioz.

“I'm not the one steering like a kreld-cruising sea hog-” Niddler's list of insults died as a shadow loomed above the ship. “Hey! Who put out the sun?” asked Niddler.

Tula gaped at the sky, suddenly unable to move. She had been told about them, but never had she expected to see one with her own eyes.

The sphere floated in the sky, attached to it was a basket big enough to host at least one grown man. Although she did not know how they could be steered, she had been told those flying boats floated in the air thanks to the hot air from a torch who was kept constantly burning.

“What in the name of Octopon?” Ren's eyes were as big as the moons. “It's headed for the Dark Water!”

Tula couldn't believe it at first, but she could clearly see it slow down.

Now that it was closer, she could see one pilot was aboard. Tula watched him drop an object attached to a rope right into the patch of Dark Water.

Then something went terribly wrong, the Dark Water yanked at the rope dragging the whole vehicle down. The flying boat heeled, and the pilot almost fell down.

“That pilot's in big trouble!” Ren said. “Niddler, you have to help him!”

Niddler screeched. “But Ren... Dark Water and monkeybirds... Don't mix!”

“No time for debate, Niddler, you're the only one who can fly!”

“Noy jitat!” Niddler cursed. “Sometimes having wings can be a curse!” he said before soaring skyward.

The Dark Water kept on pulling at the rope, spreading, bracing to engulf the whole flying boat together with its pilot. Tula could almost feel the eagerness, the evil that spread, intoxicating the very air around them.

It didn't take long for Niddler to get to the doomed man. She saw him approach the vehicle and held her breath as Niddler reached for the pilot. That was the moment the Dark Water yanked harder, and the flying boat slammed against Niddler. His paws entangled into the ropes and Niddler was suddenly trapped.

“Chongo longo!” Ren cursed, and Tula saw him speed to the quarterdeck and produce a disk-crossbow from the small chest set under the wheel. In a heartbeat, Ren was back at the rail by her side, the weapon pointed at the vehicle, eyes focused.

“Only one chance,” she heard him say. And then he shot.

Tula held her breath as the disk cut through the air, aiming for Niddler. She didn't want to watch but somehow she could not will her eyes anywhere else.

Then the disk hit true, slicing through the ropes tangled around Niddler's paws. Their shipmate was free, and Tula shot a look at Ren. He had dropped the crossbow and was now leaning on the rail, his chest rising and falling.

When she turned next, she saw Niddler flying back to the Wraith, he had the pilot clutched in his paws. Behind them, the Dark Water engulfed the flying boat, taking it down into the abyss or Kunda knew where.

“For a second, we almost became Dark Water soup!” screeched Niddler as he landed with the pilot on the deck. The man was wearing a blue cape that covered his body as well as his face.

“What in the name of Mer did you think you were doing?” Tula asked.

“I needed a sample of Dark Water for my experiments,” the pilot answered, and Tula started at the sound of the voice. The hood came off her head, revealing the face of an old, smiling woman.

“I'm an alchemist, Cray's the name.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of A Drop of Darkness will be up on July 2.
> 
> UPDATE: Remember when I told you this year is like a crazy roller coaster ride? Well, apparently 2018 isn't done yet with the plot-twists, and so I have to postpone the update. However, I promise, the new chapter will be up on Thursday 5. Sorry guys :(


	27. A Drop of Darkness (2 of 4)

**Ren**

 

The Fourth Treasure was hidden in the water, and for once Ren had felt brave enough to venture alone. That was before he had almost drowned down there.

The light of the Compass had guided him all the way down to the bottom of the sea. The spot where the Treasure was buried was not marked in any way, and had not been for the Compass, Ren could have never found it.

He had dived his hand into the sand, searching, and finally, he had felt it, the hard wood of a small box. The sigil of Octopon was engraved on it and the box was locked. The keyhole had the unusual shape of a thin line, and this time Ren had known where to get the key. He had got hold of his father's sword and insert it into the lock.

The box had opened to reveal the most magnificent gem he had ever seen. Ren had clutched it and started to swim back up when a current had hit him straight in the chest and swirled him around with the force of a leviathan. And suddenly Ren had been tossed around with the maelstrom, unable to get out, running out of air.

He had thought about his crew waiting for him up there and almost screamed at the thought of dying so close to them, in silence.

No, that couldn't be it. He had survived the Constrictus, Bloth, the Blight. He couldn't drown less than a league away from his friends, there, in a sea as calm as a millpond. And the next thing, he had been slashing at the maelstrom with his sword. Something that would have been futile, a final showcase of defiance at his impending death. Ren had been too busy trying to save his life to feel surprised when the blade had cut a passage right through the maelstrom. Ren hadn't wasted any time wondering how that was possible, he had just swum through the gap and kicked his way back up right before his lungs could give up.

And then they had been attacked by Dark Water. And a moment later a crazy pilot had steered his crazy flying boat right to it. And then it had turned up the crazy pilot was a woman. An alchemist she had called herself.

“He's a woman!” Niddler squawked, voicing everybody's surprise.

“And which one of you might be captain of this vessel?” she asked.

There was a moment of silence when Ren realized his shipmates were looking at him. Right, he still was not used to that title.

Ren stepped forward. “That would be me, ma'am. The name is-”

“Primus!” she screamed, her eyes suddenly as big as the moons.

“No... Ren,” he was truly confused now. “Primus was my father.”

Eyes full of bewilderment, the old woman approached him. “By the moons of Mer, your eyes, your face, you're... You're the very picture of him!”

“You knew him?”

She closed her eyes. “Only too well.”

“Ren!” it was Ioz' voice that interrupted their exchange. “We have visitors!”

The shape of a ship loomed over the horizon, bigger than any ship had the right to be.

“Blast that Bloth! One of us should have been on watch.”

“Perhaps I can help,” said the old lady. Before Ren could reply, she was already walking to the rail. He saw her producing something from one of her large sleeves. A vial. She popped the cork and pour the whole content into the water.

Then he saw something coming out of the sea. At first, he thought it might be steam, but then he realized. It was fog.

“By the mist of Malgar!” he heard himself saying. The fog grew thicker and thicker, and somehow it was spreading just behind them, leaving the path ahead clear. They could easily lose Bloth in that fog.

“I imagine our old foe is fairly misty-eyed right now!” laughed Ioz. “Which way, Ren?”

And again, before he could open his mouth, the old lady preceded him. “Head west! You can take refuge at my citadel. The least I can do is provide you with warm beds and some hot meals.”

“Hot meals?” Niddler jumped up. “I almost forgot they came that way!”

Ioz was looking at Ren, waiting for his order.

They had already taken their time to rest in the past days, and there were still nine Treasures to be found. However, the old alchemist looked like somebody who could help them, and besides, she could tell him more about King Primus. 

Ren nodded to Ioz. “West it is.”

 

* * *

 

**Tula**

 

There was something wrong about Cray. Tula couldn't say what, but the nagging sensation was there and she couldn't and wouldn't ignore it.

She was no fond of the idea of staying at the alchemist's keep, but so Ren had spoken. Besides, they could always use some real bedding and warm food.

Cray lived on a stone palace which rose on top of a cliff. The building was not big enough to be a royal palace, but sure spacious enough to host a lord and all of his entourage, Tula guessed.

It was not until they entered the keep, that Tula noticed whatever luxury the place did not showcase on the outside it sure displayed on the inside. Like something out of a fairytale, drapes, and painting of every shape and color adorned its high walls, and not a single spot was left unadorned. Lavish furniture laden with fresh flowers and plants was scattered everywhere, together with finely embroidered carpets so beautifully made she almost felt guilty about walking on them. An alchemist she might be, but Cray sure liked to live like a queen.

A young girl approached them, she was wearing a plain dress of a light shade of brown and her long curls were gathered in a simple tail behind her head, completely out of place inside the luxury surrounding her. The girl bowed her head without saying a word.

“She'll show you and your crew to your sleeping quarters. Allow me to refresh and I shall join you there, prince Ren.” Cray said before heading away.

Without saying a word, the girl walked towards the big staircase, and without a word, they all followed her.

 

* * *

 

“Chongo longo!” Ren gaped at the room in front of him. “What a bedroom!”

For a moment Tula wondered why the prince of Octopon would look so amazed, but then she remembered Ren had spent all his life in a lighthouse.

“Yes!” roared Ioz as he launched himself onto the immense feather mattress. The pirate almost looked small on top of that bed. “With a bed fit for a king!”

“You can play sea polo in a chamber this big,” said Ren.

“Well, what do you think?” squawked Niddler. The monkeybird had wrapped a cape around his wings. The fabric was blue as a morning sky and it had a pattern of flowers embroidered in a golden thread.

“Niddler! You can't wear other people's clothes,” Ren scolded him.

“Cray said, _make yourself at home_ , didn't she?” Niddler shrugged.

“Next you'll be curling your feathers,” answered Ioz from the massive bed.

“She sure has been... Hospitable,” Tula said. “I wonder why.”

“Your friend sounds suspicious, Ren,” said Cray as she stepped into the room. She gave Tula a warm smile that had her almost reach for her sword.

“We're just not used to the royal treatment, Cray,” she answered.

“The prince of Primus deserves nothing less than the best, my dear,” the woman eyes slid from Tula's head to her feet. A shark, studying his prey. Tula wondered if it came to it, would she really attack an old woman?

“You still haven't told me how you knew my father,” Ren said.

Cray sighed. “I suppose it does no harm to tell you,” she sat down on an armchair, it was upholstered in an emerald green velvet. “You see Ren, at one time, your father was... My suitor.”

“You and Primus?!” Ioz' face was baffled.

Cray cocked her head, not a trace of her former smile was left. “Don't look so surprised by it. I was a beauty in my time. Oh, you should have seen us at the palace balls!” She closed her eyes, and the smile blossomed back. “He had to dance with all the ladies, of course, but I was his favorite. We had so much in common: music, travel, sailing! You couldn't have imagined a more perfect match. I was sure he was learning to love me...” Cray opened her eyes, and once more her smile faded. “When I found out I had a rival. It was your mother, Ren.”

Cray turned to look at Ren, and Tula did not miss the moment her lips twitched at something she saw on his face. Ren must have taken something after his mother after all. Tula didn't know why but the knowledge made her smile.

“I'm afraid I did not take it well,” Cray went on. “I left Octopon soon after. There was no reason to stay. And so, I ended up making a life for myself here.”

“Don't you get lonely?” Ren asked.

“I enjoy the solitude. I don't care much for people, they can be so... Untrustworthy.”

Before she could control herself Tula had already spoken out. “You bet they can.”

Again, Cray was smiling that warm smile, but the look in her eyes made her wish the old woman had a weapon in her hands. She wished Cray would give her a reason to attack.

“I see, my dear, nobody had shown you to your chamber yet.”

“My... What?”

“Your sleeping quarters, my dear.”

Tula scoffed. “No need to trouble your... Servants.” Or was the word _maids_? Tula wasn't sure. “There's space enough for everybody here.”

Cray gasped. “Don't be silly, my dear, it's not proper for a lady to share a room with a man. Not to mention two!”

“Nothing I haven't done before. You forget one thing, Cray, I'm not a lady.”

“That I can see, my dear,” she stood up from the armchair. “My maid will show you to your room after supper. But enough of this prattle,” she turned to Ren, her eyes still lingering on his face. “Come, prince Ren, you and I have more important matters to discuss.”

 

* * *

 

Two more plain girls clad in the same brown dress set the trays on a table that was definitely too big for the five of them. There was stewed fish on a bed of seasoned veggies, roasted prawns and freshly baked pies filled with eggs. A big cauldron rose in the center of the table, the steam twirling up towards the majestic chandelier. The heavenly scent of warm mussel soup filled Tula's nose.

One of the girls filled their goblet with a golden wine and then they were gone.

Cray gestured to Ren to start filling his plate, and after he was done they all took turns. The food was as good as it smelled, Tula almost moaned at the first morsel of fish, it was fresh and skilfully spiced. She washed it down with a sip of wine, it was not the red that she loved, but she couldn't complain, this wine was so fresh she could almost drink it like water.

Although, as much as she tried to enjoy the luxury of a warm meal, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling of impending danger that had started to build up since Cray had stepped on the Wraith's deck. The woman had eyes for no one but Ren. They were locked into his as he told her about his quest for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule.

“So prince Ren, you think those Thirteen Treasures will free the world of Dark Water for good?”

“I know it, Cray.”

Cray smiled. “There it is, the same pride of Primus.”

“You still haven't told us what you were trying to do with the Dark Water.”

Cray placed her fork down. “Experiments.”

“What kind of _experiments_?” asked Ioz.

“You see, prince Ren, at first, like you, I was trying to find a way to destroy it. But then, the more I studied it, the more I couldn't help but wonder if any good could come from it. Although, in order to continue my research into Dark Water, I need samples. Unfortunately, I've grown too old to obtain them myself.”

“But Cray,” Ren's hand went to scratch his neck. “What possible good can come from Dark Water?”

Tula leaned in her chair so that she was standing closer to Ren, directly into Cray's sight. “It's a completely evil substance!”

“Sometimes it takes a little evil to make things right, my child.” Her voice was as sour as a lemon.

“I wouldn't touch that stuff with a ten-foot trident,” said Ioz before taking a big long gulp from his goblet.

“Not even for ten-thousand kruegers?” Cray asked.

Ioz chocked on his wine.

“I'm sorry, Cray, but we have our quest to follow,” answered Ren.

“Twenty-thousand,” was everything the woman replied, her finger caressing the stem of her goblet.

“Ren!” thundered Ioz. “Twenty-thousand kruegers!”

“Dark Water for money? No, Ioz!” said Ren.

At that, Cray jumped up to her feet. “You can't imagine how desperate I am for it! Thirty-thousand!”

Ren shook his head and sighed. “No, Cray, I won't put my crew in that kind of danger. We have a world to save. Please, understand.”

_The prince of Octopon,_ Tula thought, _always so kind, always so gentle._

“If that's your answer, so be it,” Cray said departing the dining room, all good manners suddenly forgotten. “I wish you a good night, prince Ren.” And with that, she was gone.

“Ren, she said thirty-thousand!” said Ioz.

“I wonder how many minga melons I could get with those,” said Niddler before shoving a prawn in his mouth.

“More than your bottomless stomach can take, monkeybird!”

“I've said it and I'll say that again, Ioz, we won't take money for Dark Water.”

“Ay, and I've said it and I'll say that again, lad, you wouldn't recognize Dame Fortune if she jumped out of a cake!”

“Fortune, Ioz?” Ren grabbed his goblet. “Noy jitat,” he gulped all the wine before slamming the goblet back down. It was the first time Tula had ever seen him do it.

“I don't know how to explain it, Ren,” Tula said. “But I sense trouble with her.”

Ren nodded. “Don't worry, we'll be out first thing in the morning.”

Once they had finished their supper the girls showed them back to their chambers. True to her words, Cray had had a separate room prepared for Tula. At first, she thought about staying with her crew to spite her, but in the end, Tula did not really mind a night away from Niddler's snoring. She wished her shipmates good night and went her separate way.

She didn't know how many hours she spent tossing and turning in her fine silky sheets, the nagging feeling of danger was there, urging her to stay focused, alert. But then exhaustion got the better of the nagging feeling, and Tula slipped in a troubled sleep.

Until an instinct made her open her eyes. The light of a candle blinded her, and Tula had enough time to make out the silhouette of a person, a woman. She saw her bring the flame to a bowl she kept in the other hand.

“Cray?” she asked as her eyes adjusted to the light.

Smoke rose from the bowl and hit her in the face. Tula did not recognize the sweet smell.

“What are you-” Tula tried to stand up from the bed before she realized her body was not responding. The last thing she saw, before slipping into oblivion, was the alchemist's smiling face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of a Drop of Darkness will be up on July 13.


	28. A Drop of Darkness (3 of 4)

**Ren**

 

Cray's handmaids served them a breakfast fit for a king.

They started by placing a beautifully painted cup before him, containing a flower bud that blossomed into a lovely yellow flower when one of the handmaids poured hot water into the cup. The flower reminded him of the one Teron had tucked behind Tula's ear back in Andorus. 

The tea was followed by tarts, pastries, and fresh fruit. 

Sure Cray didn't mind to splurge her gold. Neither on luxuries nor on Dark Water. Ren shivered. What would have Cray done with the gold from the royal coffers had his father chosen her to be his queen?

His father and Cray. Ren couldn't deny the woman made him feel uneasy. He didn't know whether it was the way she looked at him, or the fondness in her voice when she spoke of the Dark Water. Tula had the very same feeling about Cray, and he trusted her.

In any way, they'd soon be heading away from Cray's lonely palace.

Ren scarfed down his second piece of lemon tart and licked his fingers. The sun was shining outside the walls of the palace, and he couldn't wait to set sails.

“An auspicious day for sailing,” he said.

Ioz glowered at him from behind his teacup.

“What?” Ren asked.

“Have you perhaps reconsidered the offer?”

Ren closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. “My answer remains the same, Ioz.”

The pirate shrugged. “As you say.”

That was all the conversation they had until they were finished with their food.

“I will go and get Tula!” Niddler said, and after seizing what must have been his tenth lemon tart he was gone.

The tension was so strong Ren could almost touch it. He could feel Ioz was not in the mood to talk, and he tried his best to keep his mouth shut before he finally gave up.

“Whatever Cray is willing to give you, I'll give you double the amount when I'm king.”

Ioz snorted at that, and something in Ren's chest ached.

“Don't you trust me?”

Ioz sighed. “I do, Ren.”

“Then what?”

It took a painful while before Ioz answered, “Double the amount, Ren? Ay, I'll take it.”

Ren nodded. “Just think about all the things-”

“Ren!” Niddler screeched as he rushed into the room.

Ren jumped to his feet. “What's wrong?”

“Tula,” said Niddler. “She doesn't wake up!”

* * *

 

Tula wasn't dead, that much Ren could see, her chest rose and fell with each breath, and her skin was warm. She was alive, but Niddler had been right, she just wouldn't wake up.

“Come on, Tula!” Ren shook her. “ Time to go!”

It was useless. Tula didn't respond, her eyes were still closed, her lips slightly parted. It was as if she couldn't hear him.

“Noy jitat, why won't she wake?” Ioz growled.

Ren took another deep breath, he tried to count to ten, keep focused. And the next second he was shaking her again. “Tula! Please!”

“Your pretty friend sleeps the sleep of a thousand dreams, and only I can wake her!”

Ren turned.

Cray was standing at the door, arms crossed and a smirk on her face. Ren jumped to his feet, but Ioz acted faster. He unsheathed his big sword. “The antidote! Now!” he commanded.

Cray didn't flinch. “If you use the blade, Tula will sleep for all time,” she stepped forward, head held high. “But if you bring me back Dark Water, I will give you what you need to save her.”

For a moment, Ren entertained the thought of pushing Cray into the Dark Water she seemed to love so much. “Why are you doing this?”

Her smirk washed away from her face. “Because you father owes me! And you're the one who's going to pay.”

“But Tula is innocent!” he had to clench his fists tight, he had to remind himself that he needed Cray alive.

“It's not the first time an innocent suffers! Here,” she unlaced a small container she had tied at her side. “This is made from leviathan skin. It will contain the Dark Water. But be quick,” she nodded at Tula. “The longer she sleeps, the harder it will be to waken her.”

Ioz placed his sword back in the scabbard and snatched the container from her hand. Ren turned back to look at Tula still asleep on the bed. She had been right, Cray was as dangerous as she was crazy, he should have listened to her.

“I'll bring you your Dark Water, Cray. But be sure, anything happens to Tula while we're gone,” Ren seethed. “I swear it on my father's name, I'll make you drink the Dark Water until the very last drop.”

Cray laughed in response. “Until the very last drop, Prince Ren.”

 

* * *

 

They sailed east, taking on the same course where they had encountered the Dark Water the day before. Ren tightened his grip on the wheel as he glared at the sea, trying not to dwell too much on the thought he should have never saved Cray.

The sun was high in the sky when Ioz shouted. “Dark Water! Starboard bow!”

“Quick Ioz take the wheel, hard to starboard, as close as you can.”

Ioz cursed, shook his head and then cursed some more. For a heartbeat, Ren feared his crewmate was going to just throw him overboard and sailed as far away as he could from there. It would have been the smartest choice after all.

“Be careful, Ren.” Ioz finally said as he took Ren's place at the wheel.

Ren braced for the worst part, informing Niddler on what to do. He had placed the fourth Treasure in a pouch, which he handed to Niddler now. The monkeybird cocked his head.

“Here's the Treasure, Niddler. All you have to do is let it touch the Dark Water. But be careful, one drop can be deadly!”

Niddler grabbed the pouch, but still, he hesitated.

“It's for Tula,” Ren said.

“Ay, and don't forget, I expect ten... Twenty... A hundred minga melons for this!”

Ren nodded, and as Niddler soared skywards he went to fetch the harpoon from which the container of leviathan skin dangled. Ren was ready and walked to the railing.

Ioz had managed to steer the Wraith as close as possible to the Dark Water, and Niddler too had acted fast. Ren watched him plunge the pouch containing the Treasure into the Dark Water. Smoke rose from it, together with a blood-chilling screech. Ren tried to ignore it and, leaning out from the railing, he held out out the harpoon. Once the bag of leviathan skin had sunk into the Dark Water, he pulled.

The Dark Water didn't give in easily, trying to swallow the harpoon; Ren pulled harder and almost felt down on his backside when the Dark Water finally let go. He quickly checked the container. His plan had worked out and Ren hurried to lace the cork in place. The bag jerked in his hands, like a demon fighting to break free. It took all of his willpower not to toss it back into the sea.

“I can't imagine what good Cray can do with this!” he said.

“But at least Tula will be safe!” answered Niddler.

That was what Ren hoped, but he did not dare to voice any of his worries as Ioz steered them back to Cray's citadel.

 

* * *

 

“I knew you could do it, my boy!” Cray's eyes were gleaming. She had snatched the container away from Ren's hands and was now cuddling it in her arms as if it were a baby. The view repulsed him.

“What about the antidote?” Ren asked, ready to wrap his hands around her throat at the first sign of betrayal.

Cray produced a vial from one of her large sleeves. “Tell Tula good morning from me!” She said before leaving.

Ren didn't waste any more time on her. He hurried back up the staircase to Tula's sleeping quarters.

That was when the realization struck him. Cray had planned it all along. He remembered the way she'd insisted for Tula to sleep alone, separated from the rest of her crew. Rage boiled inside his chest, but he had to stay focused. He would give Tula the antidote and then they would leave, immediately, leaving Cray alone with her Dark Water forever.

Tula was still where they'd left her. Ren sat on the mattress at her side, uncorked the vial and place it on top of her mouth as Niddler held her head up.

Then they waited, and each second felt like a noose tightening around his neck. What if the antidote didn't work? What if Cray had been wrong, what if she didn't have an antidote after all?

Tula's moan breached through his thoughts. He looked at her, her eyes were still closed but her lips quivered.

“She's coming around!” he said. And at that, Tula opened her eyes. They were heavy, lost. But she was awake.

“Oh,” she moaned, blinking. “What,” she paused to take a breath. “Happened?”

Ren placed a hand on her cheek. “You're safe.”

She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to rise. “I'm... So tired.”

“You're tired? We've been doing all the work!” said Niddler.

“Stay here,” Ren gently squeezed her shoulder. “I'll get some water.”

He left the room and managed to make it all the way through the corridor before he slumped against the wall. Ioz, Tula, and Niddler had joined him knowing the dangers that lay ahead; still, it didn't make it any easier for him to know they were not safe. And if anything would ever happen to them...

Ren shook his head and pulled himself together. There must have been a kitchen where he could get water from near the dining room; he headed there.

“Ren!” a voice as soft as silk called his name.

At first, he thought it was one of the handmaids, but the girl that he saw walking towards him was definitely not one of them.

She was undeniably beautiful, a waterfall of blond hair washed down her shoulders, framing her lovely face. She carried herself with light and fluid steps, her hips swaying ever so slightly under her blue gown.

“What do you think?” a smile shone on her face as she spun around, her blue skirt floating like the waves.

“Who,” Ren stammered. “Who are you?”

She took his hand in hers and pulled him. “Come into the sunlight where you can see me better!” He let her lead him all the way to a balcony. “Now, how do I look?”

“Uh, very pretty... Do I know you?”

“Of course!” she placed her hands on his shoulder. Her blue eyes beamed as she said, “Now you can see why getting the Dark Water was so important to me!”

Ren gasped, that couldn't be.

“Cray?” He studied her face and felt his legs trembling. The girl couldn't be any older than twenty, but those cheekbones, the curve of her nose, the way she smiled. He had seen them before. “But... How?”

“I used it in a potion!” Cray giggled. “Oh, don't look so fearful, this is destiny, don't you see?” She placed a hand on his neck, and Ren cringed at the feeling of her fingers on his skin. With a finger, she traced a line down to his shoulder blade. “How else can it be that I've been given a second chance to marry the Prince of Octopon.”

Ren took a step back. “Marry? What are you talking about?”

Cray sighed and took a step forward cutting the distance between them. “Your strength,” she placed a hand on his chest and toyed with the buttons of his vest. “My power. Your nobility,” she got closer. “My beauty,” she purred. “It's a timeless match.” With that, she stepped on her toes. Ren had enough time to realize she was going to kiss him, and he moved away.

“Now, hold on, hold on,” he stammered as he tried to put as much space as he could between the two of them. “I- I've got to get back to my friends, our quest-” It was not until he bumped against the rail of the balcony that he realized he'd chosen the wrong direction.

Cray approached him, her smile still shining on her face. “Yes, the quest! You don't need Ioz, or the bird or... That fool girl. Not with my powers! We can do it together!” Once again she laid her hands on him. “Just you and me, Primus.”

_Primus_.

Ren shoved her away. “It's Ren.”

She gasped. “Yes! Ren, of course. I know who you are!”

Ren walked away from her. This was enough, he'd had enough of this crazy woman.

“Ren, wait!” she cried out.

Not a chance. He would get his crew, sail away, and perhaps one day he would forget Cray ever existed.

“Ren!”

Ren sped all the way back to Tula's sleeping quarters. He sighed when he saw his shipmates.

“Where did you go for that water, Janda Town?” Ioz grunted.

“We've got a problem. It's Cray!”

“What magical mischief is she up to now?” asked Tula, still lying on the bed.

“Leave them out of this, Ren!”

Ren froze at the sound of her voice. She was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, head held high.

Tula gasped. "What in the name of Mer?!” 

“Tell me it's the light!” Niddler squawked.

“You all have my most sincere gratitude for escorting the Prince of Octopon safely home. Now, it is time for you to take your leave. You shall be given-”

“You're not seeing things clearly!” Ren had tried to keep calm, but the situation had gotten so quickly out of hand he couldn't help but shout. “This _love_ between us doesn't exist. We're strangers! You can't bring back the past!” He stressed every word to make sure it seeped through her thick skull.

For a moment, Cray was quiet, before she broke loose. “Understand this, my prince!” she yelled. “I will not be scorned twice!”

Too late Ren saw her reaching for something from under her sleeve. He saw her toss something on the floor. There was an explosion and then a smoke rose, engulfing the room. And Ren couldn't see an inch from his nose.

He heard Ioz curse and the sound of the mattress creaking as Tula sprung up from the bed.

Ren felt something brushing along his leg, and he was too used to Niddler using him as a shield in time of danger to notice this time it was not the monkeybird who had his hands on him.

His heart stopped dead in his chest. Ren reached for his pouch but it was not there at its place anymore.

“She's got the Treasure!” he shouted.

The sound of the door of the room slamming followed. Ren heard the distinct sound of a lock being shut.

“There will be no quest, my love!” Cray declared from the other side of the door. “You're staying with me!”

It took several minutes and as many curses for the smoke to finally dissipate through the window.

Ren sped to the door, trying the handle. It was locked. He kicked it, kicked it again and cursed till they could hear him all the way to the depth of the abyss.

“That's useless, Ren,” said Tula.

“Is there another way out?” he asked.

Niddler went to the window. He saw him trying the bars, but Ren didn't dare to hope they would move. Then Niddler screeched. “Not through here, especially now!”

Ioz walked to the window and shot a look outside. “By Daven's beard, just about our luck!”

A roar echoed from the sky, and Ren didn't need to go and have a look outside to see who had just found Cray's palace. That roar couldn't belong to anything else than a dagron.

Bloth had finally caught them.

* * *

 

 

**Konk**

 

Konk had been riding his dagron for hours, he was tired and his back hurt. But Bloth had sent him and Mantus scouting for Ren and his mates, and Bloth had also said that if they were to come back without news of their whereabouts, Bloth would flog Mantus and throw Konk to the Constrictus.

One day Konk would kill the Constrictus, but now he would keep his backache and keep on searching for Ren.

The dagron stank. He stank more than the brig of the Maelstrom. But Konk was getting used to it. Riding dagrons was an honor, it was a very important task, and Konk was getting more and more important lately.

Konk was very tired though, and even if he fought hard to keep his head straight, he felt like dozing off. And he must have, at some point, cause he jerked awake when Mantus cried out, “There they are!”

And Konk saw it too. The Wraith.

She was a beauty, a ship fit for an important man like Konk. Maybe one day Bloth would give her to him. Yes, Konk would bring back Ren and his friends and he would get the Wraith in return.

Mantus landed with his dagron on the deck as Konk waited in the sky. Mantus always wanted to do all the work for himself. It was fine for Konk, Mantus made things easy. He saw Mantus mounting back on his dagron and soar in the sky. “They're not here!” he shouted. “Follow me.”

Konk did as Mantus commanded. One day, somebody would do as Konk commanded.

They flew around a stone palace that rose on top of a cliff. The building was high, but it didn't seem very rich. Just a bunch of rocks.

At times Konk dreamed about the palace he would build himself, once Bloth would repay him for the hard and faithful work. It would be like a royal palace, with lots of windows and lots of paintings. Konk was still not sure about what kind of paintings he wanted on the walls. Something colorful.

They landed right in front of the palace. Mantus didn't have enough time to dismount when the doors opened.

A girl stood there, her face was pretty but Konk didn't like her anyway.

“What business brings dagron riders to my citadel?” she asked. She looked very annoyed. The fool wench should have been scared.

“We've come to claim the boy. And all of his cargo,” said Mantus.

“Ren is my prisoner. And as for his Treasures, they're mine!”

Usually, people, especially girls, were scared of Mantus. This little wench had courage, Konk would give her that. But Konk would slit her throat anyway if it came to that.

“And how do you intend to stop us?” Mantus roared. Konk saw his hands reaching for the short swords. Mantus was good with his swords. Enemy underestimated him because he was as thin as a skeleton, but Mantus was fast. Very, very fast.

The wench was faster.

Konk saw her reach for something from under her sleeve and then she flung it on the ground. Then there was an explosion and a lot of smoke. Both their stupid dagrons reared sending both Konk and Mantus splashing into the sea.

Now Konk was really angry.

“What wizardry is this?” Mantus yelled.

Konk would make the girl regret the day she decided to challenge them. “Your tricks may stop us, but not captain Bloth!” She would die right there of fear.

But the stupid wench's eyes grew as big as the moons, and she cupped her chin with her hand.

“Captain?” she asked, musing. “A captain? Perhaps we can strike a bargain after all!”

 

* * *

 

“She wants me to what?!” Bloth's fist slammed down on the table, and Konk took a step back.

“Perform a marriage ceremony for her,” replied Mantus. His voice was as ever calm and collected. Mantus always managed to keep his back straight and head high while talking to Bloth. Konk wondered how Mantus was still alive.

But Konk was not a coward and he would prove it to the captain. He cleared his throat and will his voice to be steady. “She says she'll give the Treasures to the captain who marries her and Ren.” Konk's good leg started to shake.

“She will, eh?” Bloth shouted. But then he went silent and sat back down.

After a moment, Bloth reached for his goblet and took a sip of wine. Bloth drank the best red wine they had stowed on the Maelstrom. One day Konk would have it too.

“By Goda's guts, I'll do it!” he finally spoke. A smirk was on his blue lips. “The poor groom... It'll be the shortest marriage on record!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter of a Drop of Darkness will be up on July 23


	29. A Drop of Darkness (4 of 4)

**Ren**

 

Ioz cursed as the small wrench slipped from his hands and softly clinked against the stone floor.

“Some thief you are!” squawked Niddler. “It's been two hours!

“Shut that beak, monkeybird. You think you could do better?"

They all had watched helplessly as the two dagrons approached Cray's palace.

Although the words got lost in the chiming winds, they heard the distinct sound of a male voice shouting and the clean, high-pitched voice of Cray answering. Then, after a too short exchange, the dagrons had soared back into the sky.

Ren didn't have a clue about what was going on, but he didn't like the fact Bloth knew about their whereabouts. Besides, he knew they would come back.

“Quiet, Niddler!” Ren said. “Go on, Ioz.”

Cursing, Ioz kneeled down to pick up his tool, when the sound of a key turning in the lock froze them all on the spot. They all unsheathed their weapons; if Cray thought they would never hurt a girl, she was in for a big surprise.

Ren watched the door handle rotate and braced for the attack. He almost dropped his sword when he found himself face to face with Bloth. Behind him, stood at least twenty of his men.

“Has the young groom gotten cold feet?”

Ren could have never predicted that. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Bloth's grin widened. “Why, I've come to preside at your wedding!” he said. “And as luck would have it, we have a best man,” he pointed at Ioz. “A maid of honor,” he said sliding his yellow eye to Tula. “And a ring bird.”

Ren's chest tightened. What had Cray done?

“Now, let's move! I hate to keep the bride waiting!” Bloth said.

Ren heard the sound of Ioz shifting his body, he heard the blade hissing through the air. He turned to shot him a warning look. They were alone against Bloth and his crew, they were outnumbered, and Kunda knew what sickening tricks Cray still had up her sleeve. They would play along and wait for the best chance to get out of there.

Ioz seemed to get the message and placed his sword back into its scabbard.

The pirates walked them all to the main hall of the palace. More men from Bloth's crew were waiting there, divided into two groups, leaving a free passage were a long red carpet had been placed. It muffled Bloth's heavy steps as he walked to the very end of it and turned around to grin at him. The point of a dagger was at Ren's back and he was left with no choice but to follow.  

It was a mockery, and Ren could see now what had happened. Cray, that fool, must have struck a bargain with Bloth: a wedding ceremony for the Treasures. She couldn't imagine or simply had chosen to ignore the fact that as soon a Bloth would get the Treasures all their lives would end. Hers included.

“This ceremony shall be short and sweet,” Bloth whispered, once Ren was close enough to hear. “Of course, if I were you, I wouldn't count on much of a honeymoon.”

Ren cringed. No, there would be no feast, no bedding, no happily ever after for Cray. Ren would personally make sure of that. If Bloth didn't kill them all first.

“Ah! The fair bride!” Bloth said. “Let the wedding begin!”

Ren turned.

Cray was clad in a silky white gown that shone like a diamond hit by the ray of light seeping through the high windows. She was holding a bunch of beautiful flowers in her hands. It was a sight that should have pleased any betrothed, but Ren felt sick.

Her steps were slow as if she wanted to savor each one of them. She was beaming behind the transparent veil covering her face.

Ren fought hard against the instinct of lounging at her and tightening his hands around her throat. This mad woman had ruined everything.

Bloth cleared his throat. “Ready my dear?” he asked Cray.

“Oh, yes!” she sighed.

But then Tula's voice broke the silence. “Her hair!”

Ren couldn't imagine what might be wrong with it until he took a look and recoiled.

Dark locks were taking over the gold of her hair. Ren saw it, darkness flowing from Cray's scalp down until the very tips of her locks.

He looked back at her and almost screamed.

“What?” she asked, her eyes as big as the moons.

“Your face!”

Her skin that had been the color of porcelain had now a blue undertone, the color of a rotting corpse. But what shocked Ren the most was the fact that her skin looked like melting.

Cray darted to a big mirror that lay against the wall. "No, no, no!" She bellowed when she saw her reflection and fled from the hall.

 

* * *

 

**Konk**

 

“Guard the prisoners!” Bloth barked.

Konk couldn't believe his own eyes. The pretty girl was not pretty anymore, she was even uglier than Bloth.  
  
Konk saw the darkness seeping through her yellow hair, and then, when he looked at her face he almost screamed in terror. Almost.

Her pink face had turned into a sickening blue, and, blast his soul, it was melting. Melting like butter in the sun. Not that Konk had ever tasted butter.

Then the girl ran away, and  Bloth chased her. 

Konk didn't know why, but he followed his master. Bloth might need some help, after all, the girl was a kind of a witch. If Konk helped Bloth, Bloth would reward Konk.

He limped out of the hall in time to see the girl crawling up the stairs and Bloth trudging after her. Her hair was fully black now, as black as Dark Water. Then the girl disappeared into a room, and Konk sped as fast as he could to catch up with his master.

“There has to be an answer!” Konk heard the girl scream.

“This charade is over! Give me the Treasures, woman!” Bloth roared.

Konk entered the room right in time to see a big table full of vials and other strange containers made of glass. All strange kind of liquids were there. Very strange. Things that Konk would never ever drink. They could be really bad.

The girl was fumbling around with them, picking them up and putting them back down, hands shaking. Except that she was not a girl anymore. Her skin had turned entirely violet now, and it seemed that every inch of her was melting.

“But the potion!” even her voice was not clean and young anymore. She sounded like an old crone. A melting old crone.

Bloth's answer was to put an arm on the table and wipe all the vials and containers to the floor. The sound of glass shattering filled the room and Konk stepped back.

“No!” the woman screamed, launching herself to the floor. “You've destroyed all hope!” The stupid witch was still clutching the flowers in one hand, but with the other, she gathered a fistful of broken glass. The shards cut through her skin, and Konk gasped when he saw blood as dark as Dark Water coming out of the wounds. 

A strange steam rose from the floor, where the potions had mixed all together, and even the smell was vile. Suddenly Konk didn't want to be there anymore, maybe he could serve Bloth in other ways, in the future. He turned to go but the sound of his peg-leg caught Bloth's attention.

“Konk!” he roared. “I want the crew to search every square inch of this castle for the Treasures!”

“Yes, master! What about Ren?” Konk asked.

“I'll get rid of him personally.”

“No!” the woman coughed. “Not the boy!”

Faster than he could have ever imagined, the witch reached out again, picking up the only vial that hadn't broken. Hand shaking and bleeding, she poured the yellow liquid into the puddle that had formed on the floor.

Konk braced for something bad to happen, but the only thing that rose from the puddle, together with the smelly smoke, were bubbles. Pink bubbles, one after the other they floated outside the room. Bubbles. This was the worst witch Konk had ever seen.

Bloth departed the room and Konk followed him.

“The party is over!” Bloth shouted as soon as he stepped back into the hall. “Especially for you!” he pointed at Ren as he unsheathed his sword. Konk grinned, finally they would get rid of the son of Primus. Bloth would give Konk some peace.

“A bubble?” somebody asked. Konk looked up and saw that the bubbles the woman had made had found their way into the hall. Konk kept his eyes on one as it floated towards the wall, he wondered what would happen once-

And that was when the first explosion thundered into the palace. Followed by another. And another. And another. The witch, that blasted witch. The bubbles were explosive, and there were so many, too many. Konk covered his ears as the explosions filled the whole palace, together with the sound of things shattering to the floor. Konk was smart enough to know the whole place would soon collapse down on their heads. They had to get out.

Everybody must have come to the same conclusion because as soon as the third fragment of ceiling came crashing down, the men stampeded away from the hall. Konk saw them tumbling over each other, their screams joining the grim sound of the explosions.

There was no point in trying to keep calm, and Konk joined them too.

* * *

 

**Ren**

 

Ren pushed Niddler out of the way right before a stone could crush upon his head.

Everything around them was falling into pieces, and they had to leave the place before it turned into their grave.

In the face of death, Bloth and his crew had forgotten about them and they were now stampeding down the hall, trying to dodge the fragments of walls and stone raining down from the ceiling. The palace would not keep for long, Ren and his crewmates had to find their way out.

But then the realization struck him. Cray still had the Treasures.

“Get to the Wraith!” Ren ordered his crew. “I'll join you as soon as I can!”

“Are you mad, boy?” said Ioz.

“No time for arguments Ioz,” Ren screamed over the cacophony of the explosions and stone crashing down. “Do as I say, set sail. I'll get out.”

Ren was not entirely sure about that, but it sounded like the right thing to say to get his own crew moving.

And for once they listened, they went their separate ways.

Ren moved away right in time to dodge one of the explosive bubbles coming for him and ran away from the hall. The floor shook violently under his feet, pushing him off balance, but somehow he managed to stay his ground.

When he looked up at what had once been a splendid castle, he noticed the pink bubbles emerge from a room. He sent a silent prayer to Kunda Cray was there, for he did not have any time to waste. 

Ren stumbled on the stairs as everything around him crumbled down. He fell down and rose up again, his hands clutching the rail. He dropped down to dodge two more bubbles coming his way and finally made it to the room.

“Cray?” he asked as he entered.

Had it not been for her white bridal gown he would have never recognized her. She was nothing more than a lump on the floor, withered arms outstretched, her hands had turned black and one was still holding onto the flowers like her life depended on that. Her hair, that had once been golden and soft, had now turned completely dark and there was not much of it left on her head. 

“Cray,” Ren said kneeling down beside her. “Cray?” he placed his hands on her shoulders and almost screamed when she raised her head.

Her eyes were still blue, the only human trait that remained in the devastation of her melting face.

“Go! You must go!” she rasped. Ren barely saw her mouth moving.

“Can you... Get on your feet?” It was a silly question, but his chest ached at the sight of her.

No more than an hour ago he had planned on strangling her with his own hands, and now Ren couldn't help but pity here.

“Ren,” she wheezed. “It's too late.”

Ren could not even start to imagine the pain she must be suffering. He knew Cray was not getting out of her palace alive, and maybe it would have been a mercy to just slit her throat and end it there. Although when he looked down at his sword he realized he couldn't bring himself to do it. That was King Primus' sword.

“Oh, Cray, I'm sorry,” he said. “Whatever my father did to hurt you I-”

“It wasn't his fault,” she collapsed back onto the floor and Ren thought that might be the end of her. But then she whimpered, “I couldn't let go of the past. Forgive me, please.” She raised her ruined hand clutching the flowers, “Take this, as a remembrance.”

Ren grabbed it. No bunch of flowers should have weighed that much. He understood.

When he turned to her, her head was back on the floor. “Cray?” he shook her, but the woman didn't respond. It was time for him to go.

After a quick look around, he realized it was too late to attempt to get out from the front door. So Ren sped through the corridor where on the very same morning Cray had shown him her new young face. He made it to the balcony and thanked Kunda, for the Wraith was there, her sails wide spread. It was not a long way down, he could do it. Ren jumped.

The sails blocked his fall, and before he could crash down, strong paws were around his arms. Niddler flew him gently down onto the deck. Ren was safe.

“Good timing!” Ioz said.

Then Tula was in his arms. They were all safe.

“Bloth?” Ren shouted over the sound of the collapsing palace.

“Astern!” Ioz answered. “We're heading away.”

Ren took a sigh of relief.

“What about Cray?” Tula asked.

“She's gone, Tula.” 

She shook her head. “Ay, then so are the Treasures.”

“Not quite,” Ren walked to the railing. “She left me a remembrance.” He unlaced the bunch of flowers, letting the Treasures gleam in the sunlight, relishing the soothing feeling they gave him. Next, he placed them carefully in the fabric that had wrapped the flowers, and he thought about Cray when he let the flowers fall down into the sea.

Tula was at his side. “That poor woman, she let disappointment control her whole life.”

More than once, back in Octopon, he had heard Joen declare that _love is the sweetest summer wine._

Ren knew what he truly meant. The red of the summer, sweet as honey, delectable and fresh, the one that thirsty sailors gulped down like water before it went to their heads and had them fall overboard and drown.

Cray had drunk too much of it, and now she was dead.

“Yes, Tula,” he said, placing an arm around her shoulders. “I guess you have to learn which dreams to follow, and which to leave behind.”

Briefly, her green eyes met his, then Tula turned back to face the sea and wrapped her arm around his waist, pressing her body closer.

 _The sweetest summer wine_ , Ren thought as they watched the flowers floating on the water.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was it for A Drop of Darkness. The first chapter of The Beast and the Bell will be up on July 30. We'll get to see our heroes having some fun together! :)
> 
> UPDATE: Unfortunately I won't be able to publish the new chapter today. It will be up on August 1. Sorry guys!


	30. The Beast and the Bell (1 of 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a lot of extra scenes in The Beast and the Bell, this much I can say! Some will be fun, some will be sad, some will be cute, and I can't wait for you to read them all! 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this chapter, I hope it will make you smile too :)

**Ioz**

 

They had survived the crazy alchemist, that alone was a reason to celebrate.

Women were dangerous. Women playing with Dark Water were lethal

In the end, the alchemist got what she deserved, and Ioz did not pity her in the least. The only regret he had was not taking the money she had offered.

Maybe one day Ren would understand that nobility and virtue won't keep a man fed and warm; or maybe not. At times Ren got Ioz yelling, cursing and wondering how could anybody be so silly. But as much as he had tried, Ioz could not stay mad at Ren.

And while part of him wanted to slap some common sense into the boy, there was another small part of Ioz that would have hated to see Ren behaving like any other scoundrel. Ren was better than that; he was young, gullible and reckless; but by the two moons, there was a nagging part of Ioz that liked that.

According to the maps, the town they were headed to was called Tagua. Ioz had never been there before, but that did not surprise him. The place did not look like anything worth visiting, but it still had a dock and a market, those were enough. They would need to resupply on the morrow, but for the moment, there were cups waiting to be filled.

It was dusk when they made it to the harbor, and Ren helped him anchor the Wraith. The merchants were closing their stands while the seagulls inspected the dirty streets in search of forgotten clams or fish.

Once the Big Bird was docked, Ioz and Ren went down to the dining quarters. Tula and Niddler were already there. The monkeybird was perched on top of his favorite barrel in the corner, his face buried in a minga melon. The woman was prying at an oyster with her knife. She tossed half of the shelf into an empty bucket and tilted her head back to let the mollusk fall into her open mouth.

“Did you leave anything for me, woman?” Ioz asked.

Tula dived a hand into a sack and tossed him an oyster. She then did the same with Ren.

“So, back in Andorus, before my encounter with the Blight,” Ren said as he opened the oyster with his golden sword. “I promised myself a good drink if I've ever made it out alive. I think it's time to keep true to that promise.”

“As the captain wishes,” Tula said springing to her feet. Ioz saw her grabbing a pitcher and walking to the big barrel of ale.

“Stop that, woman!” he barked. “This is a special occasion that requires something special.”

A silent question appeared over Tula's face.

“Zoolie left something behind.” Ioz had noticed the case weeks before and had stored it away for a moment like this. Without a word, he left the room to get into the galley.

Once there, he moved some empty barrels and boxes around until he found it, still there where he had left it. Ioz grabbed one of the small bottles and one pulpy leaf of Izara and walked back to the dining quarters.

Tula whistled when he placed everything on top of the table. “Well, you surprise me, Ioz!”

“I told you, woman, this is a special occasion!”

She grinned. “I'm curious to see how our king will-” her words died in her mouth when she looked at Ren. Ioz turned, and his eyes went round.

Ren had already sliced the center of the leaf and was now skilfully pealing the green skin away. He managed to remove it in a single, gentle stroke. As often as Ioz had done it, he still struggled to do it smoothly. How many times had Ren already done it before? The white pulp gleamed in the fire of the torches.

Ren raised his head, “Can I have some salt?”

Ioz barked out a laugh. “Spoken like a true king!”

“How...” stammered Tula.

Ioz was as much surprised as her. Undal was the drink of the villagers, the drink of the sailors and pirates; so far from fine wine as water was from fire. It was nothing a rich merchant would lower himself to drink, let alone a prince.

Ren raised an eyebrow. “You seem to forget I grew up as a lighthouse keeper!”

“Ay,” Tula nodded and opened a cabinet. She produced a small pouch and joined Ren at the table. Ioz did the same.

“I think somebody should stay alert, though,” said Ren.

They all looked at Niddler. The monkeybird stood there, frozen, a new minga melon still intact in his hand.

“You trust him?” Ioz asked.

“Not really.”

The monkeybird squawked.

Ren smiled as he distributed the white meat of the leaf into the three cups. He used the handle of his golden sword to crush it into a pulp. Ioz wondered what would King Primus think of that. “Hopefully Bloth will not catch us.”

He opened the small pouch distributing a pinch of salt in every cup.

Ioz reached out and popped the bottle open. He poured the red liquid into the cups, the pungent smell of Undal filling the space around them. They were in for a good time.

With a spoon, Tula mixed the content of the cups, which turned into a familiar shade of pink. Each one of them seized a cup and raised it high above their heads.

“To adventure!” Ren said.

“To victory!” answered Tula.

“To good times!” said Ioz.

They clang their cups together and drank the Undal as fast as they could.

The drink felt like fire in his mouth and went down burning his throat, but then the sweet aftertaste of the Izara leaves relieved him.

They cheered and slammed the cups down onto the table. And then they did it again. And again. And as they emptied the bottle they talked, and laughed, and talked and laughed some more.

They shared stories and they learned things about each other. The discussions started with their favorite spices and inevitably ended on the juiciest details about their lives.

Tula had once spied a group of young warriors bathing in the river, as she hid in the bushes; until she had sneezed and run away. In fact, Tula seemed to have a thing for rivers, and for all the things one could do in a river other than swimming and fishing.

From Ren, they learned about a fisher's daughter back in Octopon. Her name was Kaila, she had curly brown locks and big doe eyes. She looked sweet and shy, but Ren knew better than that.

And after that, the stories got nastier and nastier.

Unfortunately for them all, none of their stories could compete against Ioz'. He had them both gasp and guffaw.

At some point, the monkeybird left the room, and they laughed even harder at that.

Ioz then sang some of the most obscene shanties he had learned during his countless journeys that had Ren and Tula rolling on the floor.

And when they filled their cups with the ale, Ioz got lost in the ocean.

At times he was there, at times he was not.

Like watching his life from afar, he felt himself laughing, he saw his hands slamming on the table as the others said something that had him burst with laughter. And then the memories faded away.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, when Ioz opened his eyes, he was saluted by a sharp cramp in his neck. He tried to curse but the grunt that came from his mouth was no human, and his breath smelled like rotten bilge.

Ioz smiled. Those were the signs of a night worth living.

Although the smile died as soon as he tried to raise his head from the table. The whole room swayed dangerously, and for a horrifying moment, Ioz feared he was going to vomit.

Somehow, he managed to keep whatever was left into his stomach down, and wobbling, he rose to his feet.

There was nobody else in the dining quarters, and Ioz had no recollection of what might have happened after his second cup of ale. Fragments of conversation flowed inside his head like a thousand rivers, but he could not connect them together. He smiled again. That had been a good night indeed.

Ioz managed to drink two cups of water, then he stretched his sore limbs and adventured above deck.

“Noy jitat!” he cursed. “Look at him! He drinks all night and on the next morning he swabs the deck like nothing happened.”

Ren raised his head and smiled. “Top of the morning to you, Ioz!”

“It's one hell of a morning!” Ioz laughed. His stomach protested. No, he wouldn't vomit; especially not in front of Ren.

He closed his eyes and gulped. “I swear, lad, next time-” the deck swayed from under his feet. “Noy jitat, I'll go to bed. Wipe that smirk off your face, Ren!”

When Ioz stepped into the sleeping quarters, he had to shake his head to make sure he was seeing straight.

Tula lay on Niddler's bunk, her arms and legs wrapped around him. The monkeybird was awake and he looked utterly pissed.

“What in the abyss-”

“She came here during the night and won't let go,” Niddler whispered, as if afraid he might wake her up. “You and your drinks, Ioz!”

Ioz chuckled as he collapsed over his bed. “Wake her up, and then get above deck with Ren. You two are going to gather the supplies. Remind Ren they need to last for one month, monkeybird. One month!”

Ioz laid his head down and no more than a couple of minutes later was fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

For the second time that day, Ioz woke up to an empty room, but at least this time he was on a bed. His head hurt badly, but the urge of hurling his gut out had passed.

It took less effort to stand up and walk on his own legs.

Tula was perched on the yardarm, checking on the sails.

“Confident you won't fall down after yesterday?” Ioz shouted.

“Wouldn't you like to see that?” she answered without turning around.

“What I'd like to see is the Thirteen Treasures gathered, this quest complete and myself sailing the twenty seas on a ship made of gold.”

“It wouldn't float, Ioz.”

Ioz cupped his chin. “Chongo you're right, I'll just spend the gold then.”

Tula didn't answer anything to that, and Ioz went to check whether the hull needed patches.

The sun was high in the sky when Ioz finished his round of the ship, they were ready to sail. The only thing they were missing was the Prince of Octopon.

“Noy jitat, where are Ren and the monkeybird? I want to set sail!”

“I wouldn't be in a hurry, Ioz,” said Tula. “There's something in the air... But I'm not sure if it's a storm.”

Ioz had opened his mouth to answer when he heard Tula scream. He turned around, she was gaping at the mast. “What's wrong Tula?” he approached her. Her eyes were wide and her face had visibly paled.

“Unless my mind is playing tricks, I thought I saw something.”

At that moment, steps resounded on the deck, and Ioz turned. “I must be seeing things too! You were supposed to buy enough supplies for a month!”

Ren and the monkeybird had finally returned, they both carried a half-empty looking bag. Ren's face was as dark as the abyss. “It was the best I could do.”

“The merchant did throw in an extra minga melon!” chirped the monkeybird. “Oh, it was delicious!”

“A true pirate doesn't bargain for supplies, he steals them!” Ioz grunted. When would Ren understand that? But then Ioz remembered, Ren was no pirate. Ren was a noble, silly, brave boy.

“I wouldn't have to bargain if people believed in me!” Ren snarled and tossed the bag hard across the deck.

Ioz was sure he'd never seen Ren in a such a foul mood and wondered what had happened at the market to get him so upset.

Then Ren cursed, and the beam of the Compass pierced through the air.

“The Compass!” he cried out, and Ioz realized that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

As if it were a squirming snake, the Compass jerked and pulled at Ren's neck. Ren walked forward giving up to the pressure. Ioz made to follow him but in the process, he managed to stumble over a bucket standing in his way and fell down on his ass.

He cursed as Tula helped him back to his feet. Jitatin bucket, jitatin Compass, and jitatin quest.

“Are you alright, Ioz?” she asked.

“Noy jit, what new trickery is this?”

Ioz surveyed the deck, searching for Ren. The boy was leaning over the railing, he was not moving.

“Ren!” Tula called out. “What happened?”

When Ren turned, his face was the depiction of confusion and awe. His eyes had grown as big as the moons.

“My father,” he said. “He spoke to me through the sea!”

 

* * *

 

**Ren**

 

Sometimes saving the world was not all as it was cracked up to be. He was the prince of Octopon on a perilous quest to save the world, three faithful shipmates at his side, a magic Compass and no money.

The merchants had mocked him. Ren was everything that stood between them and the Dark water taking over the world, and they had laughed in his face.

He couldn't blame them, Ren looked everything but royal in his worn clothes and a half-empty pouch of coins in his hands.

Still, it hurt. It hurt to be laughed at, and it hurt to go back to his shipmates with not enough food to see the four of them through a fortnight.

However, as he was going to finally lose it and curse the twenty seas and the two moons, his Compass had gone completely haywire. At first, the thought he might be going crazy crossed his mind, but there was not denying the Compass was pulling him towards the rails. So Ren had followed it and looked down into the sea.

The shape of a man had appeared on the surface of the sea, swaying together with the water. Ren knew those eyes, for he saw them every time he took a look in a mirror. Those were his eyes, his father's eyes. And he had already seen that man; he had been battered, soaked and burning with fever, but Ren recognized the lines of his face nonetheless. That man was king Primus, his father.

“Ren, my son!” the man spoke.

“Father?”

Ren could not blame that vision on the Undal; it was just too real to be a trick of his mind.

“Please, I have little time,” his father pleaded. “There is a higher power than the Thirteen Treasures. It is called the Bell of the First Sound.” Something appeared in his fathers' hands. It was a bell, its smooth and polished metal painted with the frightful image of a winged monster.

“Find the Bell, ring it, and all the Dark Water will be destroyed. You will find the Bell on the island of Banjamaar. But beware, my son, many dangers await you.” His father started to fade. “Many dangers!”

“Father! No!” Ren called out, but his father was gone.

And then Tula called his name. “What happened?”

He turned, wondering if his shipmates would ever believe him or laugh in his face as the merchants had done. After all they had been through together, they had to believe him. “My father spoke to me through the sea! He told me to sail for...” what was the name of the island? “Banjamaar!”

Ioz cocked his head. “Your father?”

Ren nodded. “He said we don't have to find any of the Treasures. If we ring the Bell of the First Sound, Mer will be rid of the Dark Water forever!”

“Yes,” Tula placed a hand on her hip. “And Bloth serves lemonade.”

Tula mocking him was some new degree of humiliation Ren was not entirely sure he could take. “You must believe me! We have a chance to stop the Dark Water with one blow and we're taking it.” He was the captain, they would do as he said. “On to Banjamaar!”

 

* * *

 

It took two days and two nights before the coast of Banjamaar appeared on the horizon, and Ren felt his whole body tingle in anticipation. 

He had spent those two days at the wheel, refusing to stop, barely getting any sleep. He sensed his crewmates didn't believe him, but he was still thankful they had not objected to the chance of route. In the end, Ioz had insisted on taking the wheel before Ren would steer the Wraith down a waterfall. Ren did not try to point out there were no waterfalls in the sea, he knew what Ioz meant, he was not in a state fit to sail anymore.

“Starboard to Banjamaar, Ioz! We'll be there soon!” he cried out.

Then a hand was on his forearm. Ren turned and met Tula's eyes, there was something he did not like in them. “I cannot explain it, Ren, but I sense... An evil presence.”

“We'll be on guard, Tula,” he squeezed her hand.

They both stood there at the rail as Ioz sailed them to the island.

Ren felt grateful for the calm water and the high sun shining down on them, he took it as an auspicious sign. That was until he saw the wall of stones floating around the island, like a thousand leaves moved in circles by the wind.

“By the ring of Regus!” Tula gasped. “It's a like a stone shield!”

“We'll never get through!” shouted Ioz.

“This trip gets stranger and stranger,” said Tula.

Ren cursed under his breath. That made no sense. They had not come that far just to come that far. His father had spoken to him, telling him to get to Banjamaar and ring the bell, and that was what Ren was going to do. A wall of stone would not stop him.

At that moment, he spotted a small breach in the wall, he would take the chance. Ren dashed to the wheel and pushed Ioz away. “Up ahead, there's an opening! Let me try!”

He steered the Wraith closer and closer to the wall as the opening approached.

“Steady, Ren!” said Ioz.

A little more, the ship was close, close.

The Wraith crashed against the wall of rocks, and the power of the hit sent her spinning out of control.

Ren gripped the wheel with all the strength he could muster, while Ioz fell onto the deck. He saw Tula grabbing at a rope, but Niddler was not as fast. He splashed down into the sea.

“Well,” barked Ioz, pulling himself up. “There's always the Thirteen Treasures!”

“Forget the Treasures! Our quest ends on Banjamaar!”

“So may our lives if you're not more careful!” Tula shouted.

Ren opened his mouth to retort something before he realized she was right. He returned to look at the wall, there must be a way to get in.

Niddler's squawk echoed from the port bow. “Get off me, you slimy airheads!”

Niddler was completely soaked and covered in amphecytes, which had wrapped their slimy tentacles around him. Suddenly Ren knew how they would get past the rocks.

“Niddler, I think you just found our entrance,” he said walking towards him. “These amphecytes are full of air. We can use them to breathe underwater!” Ren removed one of the creatures from Niddler. It was an unpleasant feeling, but they could not afford to be picky at this point. Ren turned to look at his crew, they did not look happy.

“Drop anchor,” he said. “We're going in!”

Once the Wraith was anchored, Ren pressed the amphecyte over his face, trying not to gag. The slimy creature wrapped his tentacles around his head, adhering to his face like a second skin. Ren turned to make sure his crewmates were ready and then he jumped into the sea.

The wall of rocks went deep into the water, whoever had created it had wanted to make sure nobody would get in. Ren smiled behind his amphecyte.

They all sneaked under the floating rocks and then slowly began to swim back up.

Ren was glad to remove the amphecyte from his face, and he silently wished he would never have to do that again. He saw Ioz glowering at the amphecyte after removing it from his face and toss it away.

“Hurry!” Ren said, walking to the shore. “The Bell awaits us!”

“Slow down, lad!” Ioz scolded him like a child. “I don't think it's going anywhere. If it's even here.”

There was a forest behind the shore, and Ren could see building rising up on top of a cliff. The Bell was surely somewhere in the city, and that was where he was headed before somebody cried out, “An intruder!”

Two men appeared from behind the trees.Humanoids, they're skin was the color of the sand and their earlobes reached their shoulders. In their hands, they wielded a strange king of lances Ren had never seen before.

“We mean no harm, I am Ren, son of-”

One of the men slammed the bottom of the lance against the ground. It generated a soft note, and suddenly the lance came alive. A blue light engulfed its top, and when the man pointed it in Ren's direction the blue light shot out, trapping him. It did not hurt, but Ren soon found himself floating in the air in a cage of blue light. He could not get away from there.

“Release him!” said Ioz, unsheathing his sword. “Or that's the last tune you'll ever play!”

“I doubt that!” said the other man. He too hit the ground with the bottom of his lance, making the same sound followed by the blue light, and next, Ren's crewmates were floating in the air, trapped in the same cage of light.

 

* * *

 

The men carried them effortlessly through the forest as they stood trapped in the blue light, helplessly floating in the air. It felt humiliating.

The houses in Banjamaar were made of clay and styled in the shapes of bells. They formed a circle around a large, empty square where only an imposing fountain rose high. Ren knew such things existed, but he had never seen one before. However, his interest in the fountain was short-lived, for behind it stood a massive tower. It was made of clay like all the other smaller buildings, but a dome of yellow glass shone from its top like a second sun.

The inhabitants had gathered in the square. On all of their faces, Ren saw a look of concern.

A group of men armed with the same lances joined their party, but soon they moved away to make space for a man clad in a blue tunic.

Their captors set them down on the ground and the cage of light dissolved.

“Who are you, trespassers?” the man in the blue tunic asked. His voice was clean, almost gentle.

“Ren, son of Primus, king of Octopon,” said Ren.

The man gasped and for a heartbeat, Ren hoped he would believe him. But then he just shook his head. “Impossible! King Primus had no son!”

“But I am his son, I swear!” it was hard for him to believe his own story, Ren did not want to imagine how big of a fool he must look to the Banjamaarians. “And his spirit sent me here to ring the Bell of the First Sound!”

A chorus of whispers rose from the crowd and Ren did not miss the way the inhabitants looked at the high building towering over the square.

“Silence!” the man ordered. “I'm afraid you've made a grave mistake, boy. There is no Bell of the First Sound. But there is a penalty for trespassing,” he looked at their captors. “Take them to the Still Room!” With that, he turned around and walked away.

Before Ren could say anything else he heard the soft sound of the note, and a heartbeat later the cage of light was around him again.

“He's telling the truth!” he heard Niddler squawk. “He is the prince!”

It was futile, Ren knew. Suddenly he felt exhausted. Someday someone would believe him, but that day seemed to be so far.

He did not try to struggle as they carried him and his shipmates away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the things I love about The Beast and the Bell, is that we clearly see how stubborn, impulsive and slightly arrogant Ren can be (other than extremely naive, but that has never been a mystery). Yes, even the noble, brave, kindhearted Prince of Octopon has his flaws :) 
> 
>  
> 
> The next chapter of The Beast and the Bell will be up on August 12.


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